Terror Alarm in Borno: Insurgents Establish New Fortress Near NNPC Exploration Site

Terror Alarm in Borno: Insurgents Establish New Fortress Near NNPC Exploration Site

By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri

Fresh security concerns have emerged in Jere Local Government Area following reports that fighters linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province have established new hideouts in the Tuba settlement close to facilities of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Local sources, including farmers and community leaders, said the insurgents have constructed what they described as a fortified base around Tuba, located within the outskirts of Jere council area in Maiduguri. According to the sources, about 200 motorcycles belonging to the fighters were sighted around the area, raising fears of renewed attacks in parts of northern Borno.

A resident, Modu Isami, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said the insurgents appear to be monitoring strategic locations around the oil exploration site.

“The terrorists have positioned themselves around communities close to the NNPC exploration site,” he said. “They are watching settlements such as Dusuman, Ngom, Jabarman, Gongulong Lawanti and Koshebe, as well as areas around Muna Garage, which is about 20 kilometres east of Maiduguri.”

Isami added that other locations believed to be under surveillance by the armed groups include Madinatu, the Maiduguri cattle market, and motorists travelling along the Maiduguri–Monguno and Maiduguri–Mafa highways.

According to him, the insurgents often move in small units of about five motorcycles at a time, advancing toward Ngom community along the Maiduguri–Dikwa road before crossing into the Maiduguri–Mafa axis and sometimes heading toward Konduga Local Government Area.

Security observers say such movements could enable the fighters to reach areas bordering the notorious Sambisa Forest, long known as a major hideout for extremist groups operating in the Northeast.

A 65-year-old local hunter, Konto Aliyu, described the development as alarming, warning that the newly established fortress could threaten both nearby communities and oil exploration infrastructure.

“The presence of this fortress in our council area is dangerous,” Aliyu said. “It could endanger residents and the drilling facilities of NNPC, which were inaugurated in 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Aliyu also warned that military installations in Jere, Konduga and Maiduguri could become targets if the insurgents intensify their movements across forest corridors sometimes referred to locally as the “Timbuktu Triangle”.

He further suggested that the insurgents’ frequent movement on motorcycles might be a diversionary tactic aimed at distracting security forces while preparing coordinated attacks on several communities across northern Borno.

Communities that could face potential threats include Gajiganna, Gajiram, Mafa, Dikwa, Konduga and Bama — towns that previously suffered devastating attacks during the peak of the insurgency between 2014 and 2016.

The hunter called on the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, to intensify operations around the Tuba axis to dismantle the suspected hideouts.

He also urged security authorities to collaborate with local hunters and vigilante groups to strengthen patrols and establish additional checkpoints along the major highways leading into Maiduguri in order to prevent possible attacks and protect surrounding communities.