Separate assaults by jihadist groups in northeastern and northwestern Nigeria have left at least 28 people dead, according to military sources and local residents who spoke with AFP on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
One of the attacks occurred in the early hours of Thursday when insurgents from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is aligned with ISIS, stormed the town of Malam Fatori, near the border with Niger. The militants opened fire on a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs), killing 11 people, according to a spokesperson for a multinational military coalition.
“ISWAP terrorists attacked Malam Fatori this morning. They killed 11 people, but the area is now under military control,” said Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyo Osoba of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which operates in the Lake Chad region.
The MNJTF, made up of forces from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, was initially created in 1998 to tackle cross-border crime. However, its mission was expanded to focus on combating jihadist insurgencies across the region.
Over the past 16 years, more than 40,000 people have been killed and nearly two million displaced in northeastern Nigeria due to extremist violence.
According to Abor Mallum, a member of an anti-jihadist militia supporting the military, ISWAP fighters arrived around 0120 GMT in several vehicles mounted with machine guns. They targeted a camp housing thousands displaced by jihadist violence.
Mallum reported that the attackers torched a hospital and several government buildings before retreating. He placed the death toll at 12 and said:
“Twenty others were wounded and taken to a hospital in Bosso across the border in Niger.”
Malam Fatori, situated approximately 200 kilometers from Borno State capital Maiduguri, has long been a flashpoint in the conflict. It was overrun by Boko Haram militants in 2014 before being recaptured by the Nigerian military in 2015. A military base was later established in the town, which has since endured repeated ISWAP attacks. ISWAP broke away from Boko Haram in 2016 and established its stronghold around Lake Chad.
Sharia Enforcement and Violence in Sokoto
More than 1,000 kilometers away in Sokoto State, militants from a separate jihadist faction known as Lakurawa launched an attack on Kwallajiya village on Wednesday, killing 17 people, according to local residents.
“The Lakurawa terrorists attacked… when people were preparing for afternoon prayers,” said local resident Muhammad Bello, adding that the victims were mostly farmers working on the village’s outskirts.
Residents believe the assault was a retaliatory strike following the recent killing of three Lakurawa members by local vigilantes during a failed raid.
An imam from the village, speaking to AFP, said the attackers invaded the community “shooting indiscriminately,” and proceeded to burn homes, farmland, and telecommunications infrastructure.
While Sokoto State Police spokesman Ahmed Rufa’i confirmed the attack, he said the exact casualty figure was still being assessed, noting that details remained “sketchy.”
Lakurawa militants, reportedly originating from Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, crossed into Nigeria last year and have taken refuge in a forest that straddles the border with Niger. They have since carried out deadly raids, stolen livestock, and imposed taxes on local residents.
The group also promotes rebellion against Nigeria’s secular authorities and enforces a harsh version of Sharia law in areas under its influence.
Lakurawa’s presence has further destabilized Nigeria’s northwest, a region already besieged by banditry, kidnappings, and frequent attacks by armed groups.
Ref: Defense post
