society
Sambisa Bloodletting: When Boko Haram Turned Its Guns on ISWAP
Sambisa Bloodletting: When Boko Haram Turned Its Guns on ISWAP.
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG.com
“The Deadly Turf War That Shakes the Lake Chad Basin.”
A new and grisly chapter has opened in Nigeria’s long-running insurgency; once bitter rivals in name only, Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have for months been fighting not merely for recruits or haulage routes, but for outright territorial control. The latest and most savage manifestation of that internecine war erupted in and around Sambisa and the islands of the Lake Chad corridor, a cascade of assaults that left scores dead, dozens of boats seized and whole communities re-traumatised. Initial field accounts and media investigations put the toll at roughly two hundred militants killed in clashes over the weekend, with Boko Haram reported to have overrun several ISWAP camps and seized key naval assets.
That figure (horrific even in a conflict long accustomed to horror) must be read in context. The Lake Chad Basin has been a theatre of not only cross-border criminality and smuggling, but also of militant adaptation: riverine skirmishes, sudden amphibious raids and the seasonal ebb and flow of civilians and fighters. For years ISWAP and what remains of Boko Haram’s Shekau-loyal factions have alternated between cooperation, coexistence and murderous rivalry. The latest operations, however, were not mere hit-and-run attacks; they were coordinated attempts to seize island strongholds that generate revenue (through fishing taxes and illicit trade) and provide safe havens from military strikes.
Why this flare-up now matters (and why it should alarm us) boils down to three brutal facts. First, when jihadi factions fight each other, civilians pay the price: reprisals, forced displacements and collective punishments typically follow. Second, the victor in a factional fight can absorb weapons, boats and fighters; materially strengthening itself for renewed attacks on towns, garrisons and humanitarian convoys. Third, infighting makes conflict dynamics less predictable and therefore harder for security forces and relief agencies to plan for or to counter. For communities around Sambisa and the Lake Chad islands, the immediate consequence is the collapse of whatever fragile protection existed and a fresh round of displacement and hunger.
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On the ground, the fighting reportedly featured dozens of motorised canoes and heavily armed gunmen which is a reminder that the Lake Chad is no backwater but a strategic corridor. Reports say Boko Haram fighters swept across several ISWAP-held islands, capturing boats and weaponry and inflicting heavy casualties on ISWAP personnel. Local vigilante sources and intelligence leaks described scenes of charred camps and the frantic flight of surviving fighters toward mainland villages. If confirmed, the seizure of riverine assets is strategically significant: control of boats equals control of movement, supplies, taxation points and crucially, escape routes.
Scholars and analysts who have followed the jihadist evolution in north-east Nigeria warn that this is not a mere squabble among thugs; it is the latest phase of a long adaptive conflict. Vincent Foucher, a leading researcher on the Lake Chad jihadist landscape, captures the larger truth: “jihad in the Lake Chad Basin is here to stay.” The line is blunt, but the point is stark; these factions are resilient, they learn from one another and they exploit gaps in state capacity to regenerate. That resilience helps explain why gains against one group are often temporary and why civilian recovery remains painfully fragile.
A tactical victory for Boko Haram in Sambisa (if sustained) raises grave long-term risks. Where one faction consolidates, it does not merely defend borders: it governs, taxes and recruits. It also acquires the spoils of war, captured materiel and the bargaining chips of prisoners and local informants. ISWAP, by contrast, has built an internationalised technical edge in recent years, claiming sophisticated propaganda, reportedly better coordination with transnational ISIS networks and more disciplined battlefield practices. The competition between a predatory, territorially assertive Boko Haram and a bureaucratised, outward-looking ISWAP is not abstract: it shapes attack profiles, civilian targeting and the geography of violence.
What should the Nigerian state and regional partners do? First, stabilisation requires not only kinetic pressure but also rapid civilian protection and humanitarian access. Too often, military wins are undone by the absence of safe returns, reconstruction and meaningful local security arrangements. Second, the region needs sharper, coordinated intelligence (maritime and riverine surveillance in particular) to prevent future seizures of boats and to protect displaced fishing communities. Third, long-term deradicalisation and socio-economic investment in affected communities remain essential; without economic alternatives and credible local governance, the vacuum will be filled again. These are not novel prescriptions, but the Sambisa incidents make them urgent once more.
There is a cautionary counterpoint, too: factional fighting does not automatically benefit the state. When insurgents bleed each other, they can also become more ruthless or more opportunistic; consolidating areas where they can operate freely, or launching terror attacks to signal continued potency. The 2016 schism that birthed ISWAP taught analysts that fragmentation can produce new, more adaptive organisations rather than a longed-for weakening. That lesson is especially important for policymakers tempted to celebrate intra-militant carnage as a win.
For the ordinary people of Sambisa and the Lake Chad littoral, the technical arguments about strategy are cold comfort. Families who returned to their farms after government assurances now find themselves running again; fishermen who paid protection to one group discover their boats confiscated by another. Humanitarian agencies warn that renewed violence will reverse months of fragile progress: food stocks will run low, clinics will close and education (already the first casualty of this insurgency) will be postponed indefinitely. The indirect death toll from hunger, disease and interrupted health care will be the slow, shameful shadow of this weekend’s headlines.
Finally, the Sambisa clashes are a reminder that Nigeria’s security challenge is not merely military but political. Long-term peace will not be won by force alone. It requires the restoration of state legitimacy, accountable local governance, economic opportunity and regional cooperation across Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Until those building blocks are in place, the islands of Lake Chad will remain prize and prey in equal measure and Sambisa will keep teaching the same brutal lesson: in a failed security market, violence simply repackages itself. As Vincent Foucher warns, the jihadist presence here is unlikely to vanish quietly; the only question is whether a savage contest for spoils will give way to yet another calibrated threat to civilians and statehood.
—
Reported and written by George Omagbemi Sylvester for SaharaWeeklyNG.com
society
Governor Dauda Lawal Hails Troops for Successful Fight against Banditry, Terrorism across Zamfara State
Governor Dauda Lawal Hails Troops for Successful Fight against Banditry, Terrorism across Zamfara State
Governor Dauda Lawal has commended the troops of the Joint Task Force (North West) Operation Fansan Yamma for achieving significant operational successes against bandits in Zamfara State. The troops of the Joint Task Force launched an elaborate and coordinated onslaught in the early hours of Thursday, May 7, 2026, in the Kaura Namoda and Birnin Magaji Local Government Areas of Zamfara State. Following the encounter, troops effectively neutralised three gang leaders and recovered a cache of weapons and ammunition, which included an AK-47 rifle, a machine gun, a locally fabricated handgun, seven rifle magazines and a total of 571 rounds of ammunition.
Governor Lawal described the renewed military offensive as timely, particularly due to the successful operation recorded on May 10, 2026, which disrupted a significant gathering of notorious terrorist leaders and neutralised several commanders. The troops acted on an intelligence report that confirmed that the terrorists had converged at a concealed location in Tumfa Village, Shinkafi Local Government Area, with the intention to coordinate attacks and criminal activities targeting innocent communities in the state. The Air Component launched a precision airstrike on the identified terrorist hideout that successfully destroyed the structure, which served as the terrorists’ meeting point. The governor further reiterates Zamfara State Government’s commitment to ongoing support and logistics for the military and other security agencies operating in the state.
Old Students Association rejects alleged commercialisation of Unity School land
By Ifeoma Ikem
The Unity Schools Old Students Association (USOSA) has rejected the alleged commercialisation of any unity schools land under the Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) initiative.
The association made its displeasure known during their awareness walk to protest the concession of the 33 hectares of land belonging to Federal Government College (FGC) Kano yesterday in Lagos.
The members were carrying placards, some of which read “PPP: Save the Future”, “Protect Unity Schools”, “PPP must serve Education not land conversion” and “Schools are not for Real Estate”.
President-General of the Unity Schools Old Students Association USOSA Michael Magaji says Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) was designed to improve public institutions, and not strip them of assets or reduce their land.
Over 60 Unity schools members were drawn from across the nation for the awareness walk to protest against the alleged sale of the school lands.
The P-G said the association was advocating for a sustainable funding model that would preserve educational assets while improving infrastructure, manpower and learning conditions.
“Our coming together is to restore the lost glory of Unity Schools and strengthen Nigeria’s education system. Unity schools are nation-building institutions that have produced leaders across various sectors.
“Unity Schools were not just about education, they were about integration built not by spectators but by active citizens that believe in one nation.
“ The alumni support PPP but oppose the sale of educational assets. Unity never happens by chance but designed, nurtured and protected,’’ he added.
He added that the awareness walk brought about by the alumni across the nation was also to have a stronger network to revive the vision of the Unity Schools.
Mr Humphrey Nwafor, Lagos Chapter President, Federal Government College, Kano Old Students Association said that they are pushing back against the alleged commercialisation of Unity School lands.
Nwafor pointed out that the 33 hectares of land belonging to FGC Kano was concessioned without adequate consultation with stakeholders.
“We are saying there is a better option. Instead of selling our lands and assets, we would rather fund the schools ourselves.
“If the government says it does not have enough money to run the schools, the old students can provide support without taking one inch of the land,” he said.
According to him, the concession arrangement involving the school’s land will undermine the future of unity schools, which were established in the first place to promote national integration.
“These schools were established to unite Nigerians from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and we are appealing to President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure that public educational assets are protected,” he added.
He called on the Federal Government to leverage alumni networks in addressing funding challenges confronting unity schools.
“We are in solution mode and impact mode and we believe alumni associations should be integrated into the process of repositioning these schools.
“We recently met with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and discussions are ongoing toward finding mutually beneficial solutions,” he said.
Mr Alex Akindumila, President of FGC Idoani Alumni Association said the concession controversy was a national test of how public assets and educational institutions are being managed.
He said that they are concerned that reducing lands allocated to unity schools could limit future expansion, agricultural projects, sports facilities, technical workshops and staff accommodation.
“The lands allocated to unity schools were deliberate and visionary.“They were designed to ensure that the schools remain self-sustaining and adaptable to future needs.
According to him, when you shrink the land of a unity school, you do not just reduce space, but reduce possibility , reduce ability to run agricultural programs that can feed students and teach enterprise, even the space required for sports facilities that build discipline, health and national pride.
Also, Mrs Ifeoma Okeke, an alumna of FGC Nsukka, called for transparency, due process and stakeholder engagement in any PPP arrangement involving educational institutions.
She said PPP agreements should align with the public purpose of the schools and not diminish their long-term capacity.
“There must be transparency, competitiveness and proper stakeholder engagement in any concession process involving public educational assets,” she said.
society
NAPS Southwest Condemns Delay in Passage of HND,/B.SC Dichotomy Bill, Issues 30 Days Ultimatum to Nigeria Senate and Federal House of Representative
NAPS Southwest Condemns Delay in Passage of HND,/B.SC Dichotomy Bill, Issues 30 Days Ultimatum to Nigeria Senate and Federal House of Representative
The National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) Southwest has strongly condemned the continued delay in the passage of the bill aimed at ending the long-standing disparity between Higher National Diploma (HND) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) qualifications in Nigeria. The association has described the delay as unjust, discriminatory, and harmful to the future of polytechnic education in the country.
The NAPS Southwest expressed deep frustration over what it called the unacceptable silence and inaction from the Nigerian Senate and Federal House of Representatives regarding the bill. The proposed legislation seeks to abolish the dichotomy between HND and B.Sc holders, a divide that has for years limited career progression opportunities for polytechnic graduates, particularly in the public sector.
This ongoing delay represents a significant policy gap that must be urgently addressed. The continued discrimination against HND holders contradicts the principles of equity, fairness, and meritocracy that should define Nigeria’s public service.
For years, polytechnic students and graduates have faced systemic discrimination in employment opportunities, career progression, and societal recognition an injustice that undermines the value of technical and vocational education in national development. The proposed bill represents a critical step toward equity, fairness, and the full recognition of polytechnic education in Nigeria.
We therefore call on the current administration and the National Assembly to prioritize the reintroduction and immediate passage of this critical legislation. Nigeria cannot afford to sideline a significant segment of its skilled workforce due to outdated and discriminatory policies.
It is therefore disheartening that the Nigeria Senate and House of Representatives has yet to act decisively on this matter of urgent national importance. The continued delay raises serious questions about the commitment of lawmakers to addressing the challenges faced by millions of Nigerian youths in the polytechnic system.
The NAPS southwest unequivocally calls on the Senate and House of Representatives to, without further delay, deliberate on and pass the bill to end the HND/B.Sc dichotomy. The future of countless students and graduates depends on this decisive action.
The continued delay in passing this bill is a direct attack on the dignity and future of millions of Nigerian students and graduates, the statement read. We cannot continue to tolerate a system that places artificial barriers on capable individuals simply because of the institution they attended.
Failure to meet this demand will leave NAPS Southwest with no choice but to mobilize Nigerian Polytechnic Students and Graduates across the country for peaceful but firm actions to press home our demands. We are prepared to take all legitimate steps necessary to ensure that justice is served.
NAPS Southwest has therefore issued a strong warning to the Senate and House of Representatives, urging lawmakers to prioritize and immediately pass the bill without further delay. The association made it clear that failure to act promptly would trigger nationwide protests and coordinated actions by Nigerian polytechnic students and graduates.
We urge all relevant stakeholders to initiate comprehensive reforms that will harmonize qualification frameworks, ensure equal opportunities for career advancement, and restore confidence in the civil service system.
NAPS Southwest remains committed to advocating for the rights and dignity of polytechnic students and graduates across Nigeria. We will continue to engage constructively with policymakers and mobilize support until justice is achieved.
Signed
Comr Ogunsola Adewale John
NAPS Southwest Coordinator
+234 704 720 2907
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