Brig-Gen Braimah's Death: Boko Haram's Coordinated Assault on Borno Army Base
Fresh accounts have emerged detailing the circumstances that led to the killing of Commander Brig-Gen Oseni Braimah of the 29 Task Force Brigade. This followed a deadly three-hour midnight assault on an Army base at Benisheik, located along the 132-kilometre Maiduguri-Damaturu road in Borno state. Soldiers who survived the Thursday dawn attacks described the incident as one of the most coordinated and intense attacks in recent months of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the region.
Contradictory Claims from Army and Survivors
The Nigerian Army has insisted that the attacks were successfully foiled and dismantled, resulting in heavy casualties and equipment failure for the insurgents. However, these claims contradict accounts from soldiers and residents, who painted a picture of a coordinated insurgent offensive that overwhelmed troops, leading to significant destruction of life and property. The attack, which occurred around 12:30 am on Thursday, was carried out by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters.
They launched simultaneous assaults on multiple military positions in Benisheik, a strategic town in Kaga Local Government Area along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway. According to several eyewitnesses who spoke with sources, the insurgents advanced in large numbers, attacking at least three military formations before pushing into civilian areas, including the Ngamdu community along the road.
Unprecedented Scale and Coordination of Attack
A soldier who survived the attack but requested anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to journalists, described the scale and coordination of the terrorists as unprecedented. "We are used to coordinated attacks, but this was different. They came in large numbers from different directions at the same time. It felt like they had studied our positions for weeks," he said. Another survivor admitted that the attackers had a numerical advantage, which affected the outcome of the troops' engagement.
"We stood our ground at first, but they were too many. They attacked from different angles. It was like an ambush," lamented the soldier. According to him, troop morale began to drop as rumours spread that other locations had fallen and some soldiers had been killed. He further revealed: "When we started hearing that our colleagues in other locations had been overrun, it shook us. Then someone shouted that the Brigade Commander was dead. That was when fear fully set in."
Breakdown in Coordination and Aftermath
The sudden confusion and psychological impact of the attack, another source in Maiduguri said, contributed to a breakdown in coordination among the ground troops, forcing some of the terrorists to retreat towards the town. It was also reported that the fierce gun battle lasted more than an hour, with multiple explosions forcing both military personnel and civilians to flee for safety. In the aftermath of the attack, claims emerged that Brigadier General Braimah was killed due to a malfunctioning Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.
However, military sources and individuals familiar with the late general disputed this claim. A highly placed source within the Brigade described the claim as misleading. "The insurgents actually set the MRAP on fire during the attack. Stating that he died because the vehicle didn't start is not accurate. The situation was far more complex," added the source. Another insider among the troops suggested that only those who were with the late General at the moment of the attack could provide what he described as an exact and definitive account, noting that many of them also died in the encounter.
"I am aware that the insurgents closed in from various angles at the same time. It was like an ambush plan. But when the gun battle became intense, the terrorist formation scattered. What helped them was their numbers; there were too many of them," the source added. Corroborating the account, a former frontline driver to the late general, who identified himself simply as Defender, noted that Braimah's attitude towards operational vehicle maintenance was exemplary to other serving military officers at the Theatre Command of the Northeast.
