A fierce clash between rival Boko Haram factions, Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunna lid-Da‘wa wa’l-Jihād (JAS) and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), has reportedly claimed more than 50 lives in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
He said the deadly confrontation occurred on Sunday afternoon at Toumbun Gini, an island settlement on the fringes of Lake Chad.
According to Makama, the incident followed an offensive launched by ISWAP fighters who attempted to reclaim the island recently seized by the rival JAS faction.
Quoting security sources, Makama said ISWAP militants mobilised with about 10 heavily armed boats to attack the area but were ambushed by JAS fighters after intelligence of their movement leaked.
“At exactly 1500 hours, ISWAP boats landed and what was planned as a surprise offensive quickly turned into a deadly trap. The first shots were decisive. JAS fighters overpowered them within minutes. ISWAP was routed,” a source was quoted as saying.
Makama reported that over 50 ISWAP members were killed in the ambush, while seven of their boats were captured. Three other vessels reportedly fled with injured fighters. Video clips appearing to show the aftermath of the battle also surfaced online.
He described the confrontation as “Day 5 of intensified rivalry between the two insurgent factions,” noting that both groups have been locked in a violent struggle for territorial dominance and control of resources around the Lake Chad islands.
Makama warned that the escalation could push surviving ISWAP fighters deeper into mainland areas bordering Kukawa, Monguno, and Marte local government areas, potentially increasing security risks for civilians and security forces.
He added that although the infighting has weakened both groups and reduced their capacity for large-scale operations, it also creates smaller and more unpredictable terror cells that are harder to track.
“What is happening on Lake Chad today is a conflict within a conflict and Nigerian troops remain in the middle of the battlefield,” he wrote. “This is the best time for the Nigerian military to tighten the corridor and deny both factions space to regroup.”
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