WorldStage– Chibok, Borno State, turned into a battlefield in the early hours of Saturday when more than 300 heavily armed ISWAP/Boko Haram fighters launched a coordinated, multi-front assault — but their mission ended in a devastating defeat after Nigerian troops and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) responded with overwhelming force.
According to security sources, the insurgents stormed Chibok at about 3:00 a.m., attempting to overrun defensive positions manned by troops of the 28 Task Force Brigade, Sector 4, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK). Their goal: penetrate the community and destabilize the strategic military presence.
Soldiers on ground quickly countered with superior firepower, engaging the attackers in an intense two-hour firefight. The well-coordinated maneuvers forced the terrorists to beat a chaotic retreat toward the notorious Timbuktu Triangle, a key insurgent hideout.
“The troops were alert and professionally contained the attack. There were no casualties on our side, and no equipment was affected,” a military source confirmed.
As the terrorists attempted to escape, ground forces immediately called for air support. Within minutes, NAF combat aircraft locked onto the fleeing militants.
What followed was a devastating series of air interdictions that obliterated scores of fighters and shattered the escape formation.
According to sources, four major airstrikes were delivered along the militants’ withdrawal corridor.
The first strike targeted a concentrated group of fighters attempting to reorganize — a hit the source described as causing “significant degradation of the hostile force.”
Subsequent strikes pursued scattered pockets of insurgents heading into forested terrain, ensuring no group could re-form.
Beyond the manned aircraft, an unmanned aerial platform (UAV) maintained round-the-clock ISR coverage and executed additional precision strikes.
“The platform engaged with high accuracy, eliminating retreating fighters and disrupting their movement pattern,” the source added.
The combined operations leave terrorists devastated, with military insiders emphasizing that the seamless coordination between air and ground forces delivered a decisive blow and inflicted heavy losses on the attackers, preventing any chance of reorganization after the failed offensive.
The operation has been hailed as one of the most tactically coordinated counter-terrorism responses in the area this month.
