Nigeria’s military said on Thursday it had killed 50 armed insurgents using drones to carry out multiple attacks on army bases in the volatile northeast.

The authorities in Africa’s most populous country and one of its powerhouses have been fighting the Boko Haram jihadist group and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) splinter for 16 years.

The groups are seeking to establish a caliphate in the northeast.

In the early hours of Thursday, troops aided by fighter jets engaged insurgents who had launched coordinated attacks on bases in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa, and Gajibo in Borno state, as well as in Katarko in neighbouring Yobe state, a military spokesman said in a statement.

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The military did not say which faction was behind the attacks, but intelligence sources told AFP that ISWAP militants were responsible.
“The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations,” Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said in the statement.

Ground and aerial pursuits were still ongoing to track down “over 70 of the wounded” insurgents, Uba said.

Soldiers seized dozens of kalashnikovs, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from the militants, he said.

In a post on X, the army shared pictures showing soldiers standing over a row of several dead bodies said to be of jihadist fighters and their weapons at one of the targeted military bases.

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Uba said several soldiers were wounded in the fighting, without giving numbers.

“Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists’ armed drones and RPG fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached,” he said.

Armed insurgents are increasingly using drones, often commercial models modified to drop bombs or grenades.

A resident in Mafa showed AFP videos and pictures from the area showing the charred carcasses of several trucks and said the militants had set them ablaze during the attack.

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Mafa locals said the trucks were mostly laden with cement heading to Chad, whose drivers had parked for the night for fear of militant attacks on the highway.

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million people in northeastern Nigeria.

It has spilled over into neighbouring countries, prompting the creation of a regional military coalition to combat the Islamist groups.

Earlier this month, at least 14 soldiers were killed in two attacks in Borno state blamed on insurgents — one at an army base, the other when a military convoy was ambushed.

Since 2019, soldiers have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as “super camps” in an attempt to better resist militant attacks.

Operatives of the Delta State Police Command attached to Agbor Division have arrested a key suspect in connection with the abduction and murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area. The suspect is currently in custody, according to DAILY POST.

The police also recovered the decomposed body of the deceased, which has been deposited at the Central Hospital Mortuary, Agbor, for autopsy.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the report in a statement sent to DAILY POST correspondent.

The police spokesman said: “Operatives of the command attached to Agbor Division have arrested a key suspect involved in the abduction and murder of a commercial motorcyclist in Agbor, Ika South LGA.”

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According to him, “On October 7, 2025, a report of a missing person was received at the Agbor Division, indicating that a man identified as Friday Orumgbe, male, 53, of Idumu Oza, Agbor, Ika South LGA, who left home on October 6, 2025 with his Lifan motorcycle, failed to return.

“Acting on the report, the DPO Agbor Division, CSP Michael Obekpa, immediately ordered a discreet investigation into the disappearance.

“Following sustained intelligence-led efforts, on October 16, 2025, police operatives arrested one Musa Buhari, male, 25, of Alihagu Village, Agbor, and recovered the victim’s phone, a Tecno T101 handset, from him.”

SP Edafe explained, “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that he and one Manu Usman (now at large) had boarded the victim’s motorcycle under the pretence of being passengers, but lured him into a bush along Power Line near Oki, Agbor, where they attacked him with a hoe, rendering him unconscious before stealing his motorcycle and phone.

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“Acting on the confession, on October 17, 2025, at about 8:05 am, the DPO Agbor Division led operatives and the suspect to the crime scene where the decomposed corpse of the victim was recovered.”

SP Edafe also said, “The remains were identified by family members and deposited at the Central Hospital Mortuary, Agbor, for autopsy.”

He noted, “The suspect is in custody and the investigation is ongoing.”

Nigeria Police have reportedly arrested human rights activist Omoyele Sowore.

Sowore was taken into custody at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

This was revealed in a post on X by human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, who accused the police and President Bola Tinubu’s administration of undermining Nigeria’s judicial system.

He wrote: “The arrest of Omoyele Sowore at the Federal High Court in Abuja moments ago is preposterous.

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“The police and the Tinubu regime are making a mockery of our judicial system.He should be freed immediately. Stop the shenanigans.”

According to DAILY POST, Sowore had earlier posted on Facebook that he was with Kanu Agabi, the lead lawyer for Nnamdi Kanu, at the Federal High Court.

According to him, Agabi disclosed that his team would be withdrawing from the case, leaving Kanu to continue his trial without representation.