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Boko Haram/ ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad
Fresh clashes have erupted between fighters of Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), following the collapse of a short-lived truce between the rival terrorist groups.
Zagazola report that the long-standing rivalry between the Bakoura-led Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and ISWAP has degenerated into another violent phase with dozens of ISWAP fighters killed.
Sources said that the latest confrontation was part of an ongoing cycle of reprisal attacks that began after the killing of Abu Abass, a senior JAS tax collector, by ISWAP fighters in September. The discovery of the cause of his death reportedly infuriated Bakoura’s camp, prompting multiple revenge raids on ISWAP-held territories.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred on Saturday, Oct. 26, when a faction loyal to Mohammed Hassan, a top commander under the Bakoura-led JAS group, launched a coordinated attack on an ISWAP stronghold at Mangari, in the central area of the Lake Chad region, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The assault, carried out with multiple watercraft between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., resulted in the death of scores of ISWAP fighters and the capture of weapons and supplies. The attackers were said to have advanced from Toumbun Gini towards Abujan Ruwa, overpowering ISWAP’s defensive lines in the area.
Field assessment suggests that the JAS faction overpowered ISWAP during the offensive, seizing weapons and other valuable items. The exact number of casualties remains unclear due to the remoteness of the area and the ongoing movement of rival units across the Lake Chad islands as fatalities may be more.
According to sources, the renewed hostilities marks a significant breakdown in the fragile non-aggression pact earlier reached between the two extremist movements.
Earlier, on Oct. 8, JAS forces loyal to Bakoura launched a series of coordinated assaults on ISWAP elements in Toumbun Mairi, inflicting heavy losses. The Oct. 26 engagement at Mangari is believed to be a continuation of those retaliatory strikes.
“The Bakoura-led faction has vowed to avenge the killing of its members and commanders,” source told Zagazola. “They accuse ISWAP of betrayal after both sides had agreed to suspend hostilities.”sources said.
On the other hand, ISWAP units are currently converging for retaliatory operations. Commanders have been directed to coordinate major offensives and eliminate all Boko Haram members.
The rivalry between JAS and ISWAP has always been brutal. Whenever one faction suffers losses, it retaliates immediately, often spilling into civilian areas who sometimes get killed for trespassing in any of the acclaimed territories of the terrorists
Since the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021, the insurgency has splintered into competing factions, with intermittent periods of uneasy truce punctuated by bloody reprisals.
The Lake Chad Basin straddling Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon remains the epicentre of jihadist activity in the region, with both Boko Haram and ISWAP competing for control of key smuggling routes, fishing zones, and taxation points. The renewed infighting could further weaken the operational capacity of both groups but may also trigger intensified attacks against civilian targets as each side seeks to assert dominance.
Meanwhile, Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai have been placed on heightened alert, with operations ongoing to decimate the terrorists in their enclaves, prevent infiltration or coordinated assaults on military locations and civilian settlements in the North East.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
…hails former chairman Garba on impactful tenure
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Vice Chancellor of the University of ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has congratulated members of the newly elected Executive Committee of the Correspondents’ Chapel of Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by Mr Biola Azeez, the State Editor of the Nigerian Tribune newspapers.
In a congratulatory message to the new NUJ leaders, Prof. Egbewole also lauded the immediate past Chairman, Mr Abdulhakeem Garba of Channels Television for successfully handing over to a successor.
A statement made available to news men in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, on Saturday by the University’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr Kunle Akogun, expressed the Vice Chancellor’s delight over the outcome of the election, saying that the peaceful conduct of the election and the absence of any rancour in its aftermath have shown the Correspondents’ Chapel as truly the flagship crop of journalists in Kwara State.
Prof. Egbewole also said that this development has further raised the public rating of the Correspondents’ Chapel, whose members constitute the crux of the membership of the elite UNILORIN Accredited Press Corps (UAPC).
While wishing the new exco members a successful and impactful tenure of office, the Vice Chancellor expressed the hope that the new NUJ officials would carry every member of the Union along to justify the confidence reposed in them.
End
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
In a smooth transition of leadership, Biola Azeez, the Kwara state correspondent of the Tribune newspapers, has emerged as the new Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council.
Azeez’s emergence by affirmation marks the end of the tenure of the Mallam AbdulHakeem Garba-led executive committee, ushering in a new leadership phase for the elite body of journalists covering the state.
Also elected by affirmation were Ibrahim Alege of TVC as Vice Chairman, Sikirat Shehu of BusinessDay as Financial Secretary, and Afusat Agunbiade of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as Treasurer. .
In the only contested positions, Mosunmola Ayobami of Western Post defeated Okufemi Akobi of AIT by 27 votes to 4 to become the new Secretary, while Oluseyi DaSilva of Arise TV triumphed over Taiye Joseph of Kogi Graphics in another closely watched race to bec the new Auditor of the Chapel.
The new leadership is expected to build on the achievements of the outgoing executive in promoting professional excellence and strengthening collaboration between the media and public institutions in Kwara State.
In his acceptance speech, Biola Azeez commended the immediate past executives of the Chapel on standard set, pledging that his administration would improve on professionalism and welfare of members.
He also said that efforts would be made to improve on relationship with government and other newsmakers in the state in order to perform more effectively and serve as watch dog of the society.
End.
Guinea-Bissau’s military authorities say they have foiled an alleged coup attempt aimed at subverting the country’s constitutional order ahead of next month’s general elections.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that several senior army officers were arrested for allegedly plotting to derail the electoral process.
The arrests were made on Oct. 30, just hours before the official commencement of campaigns for the legislative and presidential elections scheduled for Nov. 23, 2025.
Among those detained was Brig.-Gen. Daba Nawalna, also known as Dahaba Na Walna, the Director of the Cuméré Military Training Centre and a former President of the Military High Court.
Officials said he was apprehended at his residence in Bissau.
The development has heightened political tensions in the small West African nation, which has experienced several coups and attempted takeovers since independence in 1973.
The sources said that investigations were ongoing to identify other possible conspirators and ensure the safety and stability of the country ahead of the elections.
UNILORIN VC congratulates new NUJ Correspondents Chapel exco
Biola Azeez Emerges New Chairman Of Kwara NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel
Alleged Coup in Guinea-Bissau▪︎▪︎▪︎military arrests senior officers
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