Rivalry Clashes between Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) in the northeast have reportedly claimed 200 lives of the terrorists in the restive Lake Chad area, intelligence, militia, and jihadist sources reported.
The fighting between Boko Haram and rival ISWAP terrorists reportedly broke out in Dogon Chiku on the shores of Lake Chad on Sunday, in the latest bout of infighting for territorial control fuelled by ideological rifts.
According to credible intelligence reports, Boko Haram launched a surprise dawn offensive, utilising seven boats to assault ISWAP positions.
While the attack came at a cost for Boko Haram, with four of their boats lost, it proved catastrophic for ISWAP.
Boko Haram fighters reportedly overwhelmed enemy camps, seizing vital weaponry and inflicting heavy casualties. The stark disparity in losses, with only four Boko Haram members confirmed dead, underscores the tactical advantage gained through the element of surprise.
Eyewitnesses and local intelligence paint a grim picture of ISWAP fighters in complete disarray, abandoning their posts, weapons, and even wounded comrades in a desperate flight to nearby islands.
The fighting is believed to have been triggered by disputes over control of crucial supply routes and extortion points, highlighting the desperate scramble for resources in the Lake Chad Basin. This region spans Nigeria, Chad, and Niger.
However, the immediate concern has shifted from the battlefield to the vulnerable villages. Security forces in Borno State are on high alert, with intelligence indicating ISWAP may be planning a retaliatory strike within the next 24 hours. Analysts view this clash as a significant escalation in the ongoing turf war that has plagued the region since the groups split in 2016, a conflict that has already claimed thousands of lives.
While the Nigerian military has intensified surveillance, residents are gripped by a gnawing anxiety. The fear is palpable that a cornered and vengeful ISWAP could unleash its fury on civilian populations. As night falls, an uneasy silence descends, a stark reminder that the war within the insurgency is far from over, and the actual cost of these internal battles may soon be borne by those caught in the crossfire.
“From the toll we got, around 200 ISWAP terrorists were killed in the fight,” Babakura Kolo, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), an anti-jihadist militia assisting the Nigerian military, reported.
A former Boko Haram jihadist, who has since renounced violence but follows jihadist activities in the region, also said “around 200 ISWAP fighters were killed in the clashes”, with several of their weapons seized.
ISWAP and Boko Haram have been locked in a deadly struggle for territorial control since their split in 2016 over ideological differences, with much of the fighting taking place around Lake Chad.
Meanwhile, farmers in parts of Zamfara and Sokoto States have raised alarm over increasing levies and intimidation by armed bandits, who they say are imposing conditions on communities for this year.
Residents said, despite favourable rainfall in recent years, widespread attacks have turned farmlands into conflict zones, putting farmers in constant fear and threatening food supplies across northern Nigeria.
Villagers reported that bandits have introduced what they describe as “harvest taxes,” demanding payments in cash or agricultural produce before allowing farmers to access or harvest their fields.
According to community sources, in some locations, the armed groups allegedly mount checkpoints around villages, collect levies, and punish those unable to meet their demands.
“We are living under a parallel authority,” said a farmer from Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, who requested anonymity for security reasons.
“They gave us a timetable on when to go to our farms, how much to pay, and they also took a portion of our grains. Those who refuse are attacked or abducted,” he added.
The situation has forced many farmers to abandon their fields even as crops are due for harvest.
