Insecurity: HURIWA Urges Military to Face Reality After Army Loses Three Top Commanders

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA), a pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, has criticized the military’s handling of information regarding the casualties from ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists’ attacks on its facilities. The rights group claimed that the military is disseminating false information to Nigerians in an effort to paint a positive picture of the Nigerian Army’s accomplishments, despite the fact that the terrorists are on the rise and have killed numerous junior ranks, women, and children.

According to HURIWA, the Defense Headquarters spokesperson who recently stated that the terrorists should be rehabilitated and reintegrated is guilty of indiscretion and need to face administrative sanctions because the terrorists are committing heinous crimes against humanity. Just as the Rights organization urged that terrorists should be executed for their crimes against humanity, HURIWA is against any discussion of rehabilitation for terrorists who have blood on their hands.

Following attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at various locations in Borno State over the course of seven days, the Nigerian military has lost at least three commanding officers in charge of forward operations bases, according to the Rights group, which cited reliable eyewitness accounts obtained by highly credible media outlets reporting from the North-East of Nigeria. HURIWA bemoaned the fact that the Nigerian Army has failed to collect the remains of Brigadier General Uba, who was allegedly seized and put to death by ISWAP. “Any country’s military is in decline if it is losing junior soldiers and permitting terrorists to kill its senior military officers.” We have to tell ourselves the truth and be honest. The federal government must act to stop the military’s collapse and provide soldiers with the tools and motivation they need to fight and destroy terrorists.

One brigadier general and seven commanding officers have purportedly been killed in the last three months, according to reliable media reports.

The recent attacks, according to local and security observers, show that rebels in Borno continue to pose a threat despite continuous military operations meant to weaken their capabilities.

Therefore, HURIWA is upset that the military’s leadership could approve the spread of false information to mislead Nigerians and convince them that the death toll was not as high as is being reported, despite the fact that the same military acknowledged that about 40 soldiers were killed in Borno and confirmed the murder of just one commanding officer. According to HURIWA, Nigeria is the only country in the world where Islamic terrorists are mass-murdering trained military personnel. The Nigerian military chiefs have committed an unacceptable breach of duty.

The army claimed in a statement released on Saturday by Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, that the report misrepresented the events and neglected to recognize the efforts of soldiers who protected villages from organized terrorist attacks.

The statement claimed that remnants of Boko Haram, who had previously been driven from Sambisa Forest during prolonged military operations, were responsible for the attacks.

According to the statement, “the attacks on multiple communities occurred when remnants of Boko Haram terrorists, who had previously been driven from the Sambisa Forest during prolonged offensive operations by troops, regrouped and launched coordinated night attacks from multiple directions.”

According to the army, the attacks were directed at troops and villages in the vicinity of Konduga, Ngoshe, Mainok, and Jakana.

The statement went on, “The troops on the ground responded quickly and fought gallantly to repel the terrorists and defend the affected communities.”

It acknowledged that a number of terrorists were neutralized during the battles, but it also stated that some soldiers and a commanding officer were killed while fighting the assailants.

However, just as the Rights group bemoaned the state of the counterterrorism war and advised military hierarchy to adopt more effective and efficient methods to decimate, degrade, and destroy the terrorists, HURIWA asked the military to always inform Nigerians of the accurate accounts of the casualties rather than try to trick us into believing that everything is well with the military. President Bola Tinubu must end the unlawful practice of rehabilitating and reintegrating terrorists who kill people.

In a press release, HURIWA claimed that the media report’s claim that the military has stepped up operations in high-risk areas such the Sambisa Forest, the Timbuktu Triangle, the Mandara Mountains, and the Lake Chad Basin is accurate.

According to military claims, numerous large terrorist camps are being destroyed, and numerous rebel commanders and fighters are being killed during operations carried out on several fronts.

Major U.I. Mairiga, who oversaw the Mayenti station; Lieutenant Colonel Umar Faruq, who commanded the Kukawa base and the 101 Brigade; and Lieutenant Colonel S.I. Iliyasu, who served in Konduga, were the three leading commanders who were recently slain, according to media reports.

HURIWA remembered that commanding officers in Damasak, Kukawa, and Bama have also reportedly been killed while defending their bases during the past three months.

The majority of the fatalities, according to the findings, were caused by insurgent ambushes during clearance operations or attacks on military bases.

Current assault

The most recent event happened on Monday, March 9, when rebels overran a military camp in Borno’s Kukawa Local Government Area, murdering Lt-Col Umar Faruq, the commanding commander, and a number of soldiers.

Around 12 a.m., according to local and security sources, the insurgents attacked the base.

They attacked the military camp after storming the town from all sides. According to a security source, they drove away munitions, put cars on fire, and uprooted the soldiers.

“I am unable to verify the exact number of casualties, but regrettably, we also lost the commanding officer,” the insider continued.

Lt-Col Sani Uba, the spokesperson for the Joint Task Force (North-East), Operation Hadin Kai, said that a brave officer had died in the assault, but he did not reveal his identity.

The military base was also attacked by rebels last month, but forces headed by the late Lt-Col. Umar Faruq resisted them, reportedly killing numerous terrorists.

On social media, the community’s citizens applauded his response to the previous attack.

Karta Maina Ma’aji Lawan, the representative of Kukawa Local Government Area in the Borno State House of Assembly, was seen celebrating the earlier victory with troops in a video that has gone viral.

Despite the fact that the military base was overwhelmed, the congressman who reported the most recent attack stated that other military forces in the region had subsequently regained composure.

Attacks by others

Boko Haram insurgents attacked Major Umar Ibrahim Mairiga’s base in Mayenti, Bama Local Government Area, on March 1, 2026, killing Mairiga, another commanding officer.

According to a security source, the cop put up a valiant fight against the assault but was ultimately overpowered.

Major U.I. Mairiga, the unit leader, put up a valiant battle against the terrorists but was ultimately defeated when several of his soldiers escaped into the bush.

“He died a valiant soldier.” He was overcome after killing a large number of them. We found RPGs and anti-aircraft weapons when I arrived as reinforcement, and we spotted numerous Boko Haram fighter corpses,” the individual stated.

According to the source, the officer received a special promotion and was deployed to the forward operations post less than four months prior.

The attack took place weeks after a military base in Jakana, Kaga Local Government Area, was attacked by terrorists who allegedly set fire to armored vehicles and stole a lot of munitions, killing several troops.

Lt-Col S.I. Iliyasu, the commanding officer of the 222 Battalion in Konduga, was murdered on March 6 along with a number of other soldiers in an additional onslaught by Boko Haram militants.

The attack reportedly claimed the lives of a lieutenant and other members of the 21 Special Armoured Brigade.

On January 28, Boko Haram fighters ambushed a military unit in Damasak, killing seven troops, including the commanding officer.

According to reports, the terrorists attacked a patrol unit, kidnapped the officer, and killed him and several staff members.

The Nigerian Army stated on October 20, 2025, that Aliyu Saidu Paiko, the 202 Battalion’s commanding officer, and several soldiers had died in a confrontation with terrorists from Boko Haram in Bama Local Government Area.

Troops assigned to the 21 Special Armoured Brigade under Operation Hadin Kai had previously fended off terrorists during an attack on October 17 in Kashimri, Bama Local Government Area, according to Army spokesperson Appolonia Anele.

Fourteen soldiers are said to have been slain in a concerted attack on a military base in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area, last Wednesday. Over 100 individuals were kidnapped and a senior military officer was also killed.

HURIWA is urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a six-month state of emergency in Borno State in response to the resurgence of attacks on both soft and hard targets. This will allow the military to concentrate more on eliminating the terrorists and reestablishing stability and peace in Borno State.

It’s a fact that Nigeria’s battle on terror is all but lost. The federal government must more urgently devise workable solutions to the expanding frontiers of warfare that ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists have brought upon Nigeria. One such solution is to grant arms licenses to law-abiding adult Nigerians, both male and female, so they can carry sophisticated weapons like the AK-47 and AK-49 rifle.