More than 125 soldiers and gold miners were reportedly killed in two attacks in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State, while the military said troops separately repelled a large assault by Islamic State-aligned fighters in northeastern Borno State.
Reuters reported that heavily armed gunmen riding motorcycles attacked a military camp in Bindin, Maru Local Government Area, on October 5. Three residents said at least 25 soldiers were killed. A military source who later joined a security reinforcement operation said he also saw 25 bodies and that the attackers looted the camp after overrunning it.
The gunmen then attacked a nearby gold-mining pit on October 6, where about 1,000 people had reportedly been working. A village head and relatives of victims told Reuters that at least 100 miners were killed.
Those figures have not been independently verified. The Nigerian military and Zamfara State government had not responded to Reuters’ requests for comment at the time of publication. The totals should therefore be treated as provisional rather than an official national casualty count.
In a separate incident in Kukawa, Borno State, the Nigerian Army said fighters affiliated with Islamic State West Africa Province attacked the 101 Special Forces Battalion from four directions on Tuesday night.
Captain Mohammed Goni, acting military information officer for Operation Hadin Kai, said ground troops and the operation’s air component repelled the assault. The Army’s preliminary assessment said more than 25 attackers were killed, with 14 bodies recovered. It also reported the recovery of six AK-47 rifles and ammunition.
The Army acknowledged that some soldiers were killed but did not disclose a figure. A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force separately told Reuters that more than three of its members died. These casualty claims also require independent confirmation.
Together, the incidents illustrate Nigeria’s overlapping security crises. ISWAP and Boko Haram remain active around Lake Chad, while armed groups in the northwest increasingly target rural communities, mining sites and security positions. With a national election due next year, the government’s handling of insecurity is likely to become a central campaign issue.
