A suicide bomber has killed at least five Nigerian soldiers in a brazen attack on a military position in the troubled northeast, security sources confirmed. The assault occurred on Sunday in the Firgi area, close to the town of Pulka in Borno State, near the border with Cameroon.
Details of the Deadly Attack
The assailant, suspected to be a member of the Boko Haram jihadist group, targeted the military post by detonating an explosive device strapped to his body. Local defence sources and a community militia member, Umar Sa'idu, provided a grim account of the aftermath.
"I counted five bodies lying in blood at the back of my house," Sa'idu told AFP. He assisted in transporting the victims to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), where medical personnel later confirmed all five had succumbed to their injuries.
Military Confirmation and Regional Fallout
While confirming the attack, the military's spokesman for the northeast, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, did not confirm the fatalities. He stated that troops shot the attacker as he attempted to carry out the bombing but sustained injuries themselves.
"Our gallant soldiers shot the attacker when he attempted to carry out the bombing in their own position," Uba said. "Unfortunately, our gallant soldiers sustained varying degrees of injury and are currently receiving medical care."
The attack highlights the persistent threat in the Mandara Mountains region, a rugged border area between Nigeria and Cameroon that serves as a refuge for jihadist militants. This incident underscores concerns about a resurgence of violence, despite a general waning from its peak over a decade ago.
A Persistent Insurgency
Nigeria has been grappling with a jihadist insurgency since 2009, a conflict that has claimed at least 40,000 lives and displaced around two million people according to UN estimates. Although suicide bombings became less frequent as the military made gains, deadly attacks continue.
This year has seen militants intensify raids on military bases in the northeast. The last major suicide attack was in June 2025, when a woman killed 20 anti-jihadist fighters in Borno. In January, a jihadist blast claimed the lives of at least 27 soldiers in a wasteland between Borno and Yobe states.
The violence has also spilled across Nigeria's borders, affecting neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, complicating regional security efforts.
