WATCH!!! Boko Haram Advance Captured on CCTV Before Deadly Attack on Nigerian Army Base in Borno

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A newly obtained video has revealed how Boko Haram insurgents advanced in large numbers towards a Nigerian Army base in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, moments before it was attacked last Thursday night.

The footage, captured by the Nigerian Army’s surveillance cameras at the 7 Division Headquarters in Maiduguri, shows hundreds of insurgents walking in a straight line under the cover of darkness as they approached the 152 Task Force Battalion. The unit is a frontline operational command under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), the military’s counter-insurgency mission in the Northeast.

According to multiple security sources, the militants stormed the base around midnight, killing an unspecified number of soldiers, burning armoured tanks and military vehicles, and carting away large quantities of weapons and ammunition.

While the exact death toll remains unclear, eyewitness accounts suggest significant losses on the side of the military. “If troops on the ground had been alerted, the attack could have been repelled,” a soldier told reporters, questioning why the operational command in Maiduguri failed to warn soldiers at the Banki base despite real-time surveillance footage of the insurgents’ approach.

The soldier further alleged that the commanding officer fled towards the Cameroonian border with his aides when the attack intensified. “It’s heartbreaking because we had the capability to resist them if only timely support was given,” he said.

The incident has reignited concerns over operational lapses, coordination failures, and allegations that the insurgency has been prolonged due to vested interests. Soldiers have repeatedly complained of being poorly equipped compared to the militants they are deployed to fight.

For nearly two decades, Boko Haram and its splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have waged a brutal insurgency across the Northeast, killing more than 100,000 people and displacing millions across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.

Despite repeated claims by the military that the insurgents have been “technically defeated,” recent attacks highlight the persistent threat posed by the groups and the heavy toll on both security forces and civilians in the region.