In a tragic escalation of violence, suspected Boko Haram militants have killed ten people in a brutal ambush in northeastern Nigeria. The attack, which targeted local security volunteers and a farmer, occurred in the Gwoza district of Borno state, an area long plagued by jihadist insurgency.
Details of the Deadly Ambush
The violence unfolded on Thursday, November 20, 2025, near the village of Warabe, close to the border with Cameroon. According to reports from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and police, the militants ambushed a group of CJTF volunteers. These volunteers are state-funded local militias trained and recruited by the military to help combat jihadist groups.
The ambush was triggered when the vigilantes responded to the earlier killing of a farmer outside Warabe. A senior militia commander in the area provided a harrowing account to AFP. "I personally counted seven bodies belonging to our CJTF members and one farmer," he stated, referring to the immediate aftermath of Thursday's assault. A subsequent search of the surrounding bush on Friday morning led to a grimmer discovery. "Then this morning, when we searched the bush, we found two more corpses," the commander added, bringing the total death toll to ten.
This account was corroborated by a police officer in Gwoza district, who confirmed that the alleged jihadists killed 10 people in the attack.
A Region in Perpetual Conflict
This latest atrocity is part of a devastating pattern of violence in the region. It comes just one week after a Nigerian brigadier general was killed in an ambush on an army convoy by fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival faction to Boko Haram. That military official was the highest-ranking to die in the conflict since 2021, underscoring the severe threat posed by these insurgent groups.
Another CJTF member, Musa Iliya, offered further testimony, stating that Boko Haram militants ambushed his colleagues and "killed seven." He also revealed that "eight others are missing," pointing to the potential for a higher casualty count.
The location of the attack, Warabe, is situated near the Mandara Mountains. This rugged terrain is reputed to be a long-established stronghold for various jihadist factions, including ISWAP fighters who operate along the porous Cameroon-Nigeria border.
International Pressure and Religious Tensions
The deteriorating security situation in Nigeria has drawn international concern. On Friday, the Pentagon announced that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had met with Nigerian National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu at the Pentagon the day before.
During the meeting, Secretary Hegseth urged Africa's most populous nation to "take both urgent and enduring action to stop violence against Christians," according to a statement from Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. The statement added that Washington wants to collaborate with Abuja "to deter and degrade terrorists that threaten the United States."
This high-level discussion followed stark comments from US President Donald Trump, who claimed Christianity was "facing an existential threat" in Nigeria. He issued a blunt warning that if the killings are not stemmed, the United States would attack, and "it will be fast, vicious, and sweet."
While Nigeria's conflicts, including the jihadist insurgencies, often kill both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately, the country's deep-seated religious and ethnic divisions frequently come to the fore. The nation of 230 million people is roughly divided between a predominantly Christian south and a Muslim-majority north. Clashes between mostly Muslim herders and mainly Christian farmers over land and water resources further complicate the security landscape, often giving these conflicts a religious dimension, even though experts primarily attribute them to competition over resources exacerbated by population growth and climate change.
