Operatives of the Nigerian Army have foiled coordinated terrorist attacks on military positions in Borno and Adamawa states, repelling the assailants and inflicting heavy losses during follow-up operations.
The attacks, which involved the use of Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), targeted troop-carrying vehicles and a CCTV control room at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Azir in Borno State, as well as a patrol base in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Attacks repelled in Adamawa
In a statement on Friday, the Acting Media Information Officer of Joint Task Force (North East) Operation Hadin Kai, Lieutenant SA Atokolo, said the first incident occurred in the early hours of January 16, 2026.
According to him, terrorists attempted to overrun a patrol base at Sabon Gari in Madagali LGA under Sector 4 of Operation Hadin Kai.
“Alert troops swiftly engaged the attackers, supported by reinforcements from Gulak and the Battalion Quick Reaction Force,” Atokolo said.
He added that the terrorists were repelled without any casualty to troops or damage to equipment, forcing them to abandon the attack.
RPG attack on FOB Azir
In a related development the same day, Atokolo said terrorists launched a large-scale, multi-directional assault on FOB Azir in Borno State.
The attackers attempted to breach the base’s defensive perimeter but were met with sustained firepower from ground troops, with support from the Air Component and other Nigerian Army aerial platforms.
After a firefight lasting over an hour, the terrorists were overpowered and forced to withdraw.
During the engagement, RPG fire partially gutted some troop-carrying vehicles and the base’s CCTV control room. The army said troops retained full control of the situation despite the damage.
Weapons recovered, follow-up strikes
The army said several weapons and ammunition were recovered from the fleeing terrorists, including a 60mm mortar tube, mortar bombs, locally fabricated explosives, heavy machine gun rounds, and hundreds of rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition.
Atokolo disclosed that Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms tracked the retreating fighters, leading to follow-up air strikes along their withdrawal routes.
He said the precision strikes neutralised additional scores of terrorists, significantly degrading their fighting strength.
The statement added that evidence from post-operation exploitation confirmed that the terrorists suffered heavy casualties.
Atokolo said the operations underscored the resolve of troops under Operation Hadin Kai to deny terrorists freedom of action, dismantle their networks, and protect lives and critical infrastructure in the North East.
