Fresh details have emerged following coordinated attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on two military formations in Yobe State, with military sources alleging that top commanders have begun a crackdown on personnel suspected of leaking operational information to the media.
The attacks reportedly occurred around 1:00 a.m. on Thursday night into Friday morning when insurgents stormed the Theatre Training Centre in Buniyadi and the 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Gari, both located in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.
According to SaharaReporters reports, at least 36 soldiers and Mobile Police officers were killed during the assaults.
Sources said the publication of details surrounding the attacks reportedly angered top security officials in Abuja after media reports cited anonymous military insiders.
“One of the commanders received a call immediately after the story was published. The commander said the call came from the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu,” a military source alleged.
“They were angry that information about the attack got to the media so quickly,” the source added.
The source further claimed that military authorities directed commanders to suppress information relating to Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We were told clearly that information about Boko Haram or ISWAP attacks should not be made public until after the 2027 elections,” the source claimed.
“They said such reports damage the image of President Bola Tinubu’s government and the military. The instruction was that operational failures should be managed internally.”
Another source alleged that threats were issued against soldiers suspected of speaking to journalists.
“Commanders warned that any soldier found communicating with the media would face severe punishment,” the source said.
“The threat was serious. People are scared because they believe they can be framed or targeted at any time.”
One of the soldiers who reportedly survived the attack recounted how insurgents simultaneously attacked both formations during the midnight assault.
“My camp was attacked by Boko Haram. In 27TF BDE Buni Gari, three soldiers were killed in action and the attack started around 1:00 a.m. The terrorists were attacking us and at the same time attacking our neighbouring camp too,” the soldier reportedly said.
Another military source described the incident as one of the deadliest recent attacks on troops in the area.
“Last night was bloody,” the source said.
“We started hearing that Boko Haram was attacking Buniyadi around one o’clock in the morning. We wanted to reinforce them, but before we could move, they started attacking our own camp too.”
Military sources said the Theatre Training Centre in Buniyadi suffered the highest casualties, with 17 Mobile Police officers undergoing training reportedly killed.
Sources added that 10 soldiers attached to the training programme and six permanently deployed soldiers also lost their lives during the attacks, bringing the total death toll from both incidents to at least 36.
The latest development has raised fresh concerns over transparency in Nigeria’s military operations in the North-East, where insurgent groups continue to carry out deadly attacks despite repeated assurances by authorities that terrorism has been largely degraded.
