At least 50 Boko Haram fighters were killed on Tuesday following an insurgent ambush on a convoy safeguarding Nigeria’s power grid installations.
The attack also left seven members of Nigeria’s infrastructure security force missing, according to Babawale Afolabi, spokesperson for the Nigerian Civil Defence Corp (NCDC).
The ambush occurred during a patrol mission to secure vital infrastructure. Afolabi reported that approximately 200 Boko Haram fighters attacked the convoy, leading to intense fighting in which over 50 insurgents were killed.
However, seven operatives remain unaccounted for, and search efforts are ongoing in the surrounding bush. Several other operatives sustained injuries during the clash.
Boko Haram, which has waged a 15-year insurgency predominantly in Nigeria’s northeast, has been significantly weakened by military operations and internal conflicts. However, the group continues to launch deadly attacks targeting civilians and government installations.
While primarily active in the northeast, Boko Haram is known to have cells in Niger State, where they have previously attacked military and civilian targets.
In a separate incident last Saturday in Borno State, suspected insurgents killed five soldiers in another attack, according to a military spokesperson.
These events underscore the persistent threat posed by Boko Haram despite ongoing counterinsurgency efforts.
