JUST IN: ISWAP ambushes military convoy in Borno, soldiers killed, brigade commander reportedly abducted

A senior Nigerian Army officer, believed to be a brigade commander, has reportedly been abducted after fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ambushed a military convoy in Borno State on Friday night.

According to HumAngle, which first reported the incident, the attack also left several soldiers dead, including operatives of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), though exact casualty figures remain uncertain.

The abducted commander was said to have been leading the troops when the insurgents struck. If verified, the report notes that it would mark the first time an extremist group in Nigeria has successfully captured a serving military general directly from the frontline, a development that underscores the growing boldness of ISWAP militants.

Although high-ranking officers have previously been killed in clashes with insurgents, abductions of this magnitude are extremely rare and could signal a troubling shift in the dynamics of the conflict.

The Nigerian Army has yet to issue a formal reaction to the ambush, and efforts to reach its spokesperson, Lt. Col. Onyechi Anele, were unsuccessful as she had not responded to enquiries at press time.