By Zagazola Makama
Dozens of fighters were killed on both sides on Tuesday following a renewed violent encounter between the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and elements of the Boko Haram Bukura faction loyal to Abu Umaima along the Lake Chad Basin axis of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno.
Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the clash broke out between 6:00 a.m. and about 10:15 a.m. around Dogon Chiku Buhari village, a border settlement in Abadam LGA, barely one kilometre from the Nigeria–Niger frontier.
The sources said the Bukura faction fighters, believed to be operating from settlements around the Lake Chad Basin on the Niger Republic side, engaged ISWAP elements resident on the Nigerian side of the border.
“The fighting took place around Dogon Chiku Buhari, east of Tubum Mota and the Bosso–Diffa axis in Niger Republic. It lasted several hours and resulted in heavy casualties on both sides,” a source said.
Tubum Mota village, is located east of Malam Fatori, about 19 kilometres from the town, which has remained a flashpoint for rival extremist groups.
The renewed violence is rooted in longstanding rivalries within the jihadist ecosystem. ISWAP has sought to consolidate authority across the basin by absorbing or eliminating splinter groups, while the Bukura/Abu Umaima faction has resisted subordination, relying on cross-border mobility and local alliances.
The border’s porous nature allows fighters to shift bases quickly, complicating counterterrorism operations by Nigerian and MNJTF forces.
