Terrorists from Mali, Burkina Faso Storm Nigeria, Target Four States, Says Military Sources

Nigerian military sources have revealed that armed terrorists crossing from Mali and Burkina Faso recently infiltrated parts of the country with plans to launch coordinated attacks on four northern states, raising fresh concerns over cross-border insecurity in the region.

According to senior security officials, intelligence reports indicated a large movement of foreign fighters through porous borders linking Nigeria to the wider Sahel region. The terrorists were said to be advancing towards Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger states, with plans to carry out large-scale attacks during the festive period. The military sources disclosed that the fighters are linked to Islamic State-affiliated terror networks, operating alongside local bandit groups in Nigeria’s North-West. The groups allegedly moved men, weapons and logistics across borders from Mali and Burkina Faso, exploiting weak border surveillance and long-standing insecurity in the Sahel. The intelligence we received pointed to a convergence of terrorists from the Sahel into Nigeria. Their objective was to strike multiple states almost simultaneously,” a senior military source said. “This was not ordinary banditry but a coordinated terror operation with foreign elements. The development reportedly informed recent counter-terrorism operations, including precision airstrikes carried out against identified terrorist camps and logistics hubs in parts of north-west Nigeria. Security officials confirmed that the operations were conducted with international intelligence support as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt planned attacks and degrade the terrorists’ operational capacity. The Federal Government has maintained that Nigeria remains in control of its security operations and that any foreign support is based on intelligence sharing and counter-terrorism cooperation. Officials stressed that the targets were confirmed terrorist enclaves and not civilian locations. However, the revelation has sparked renewed debate over Nigeria’s border security and the growing spillover of Sahel-based insurgency into the country. Analysts warn that the collapse of security structures in Mali and Burkina Faso has allowed extremist groups to expand southward, threatening coastal and West African states, including Nigeria. Security experts say the presence of foreign fighters underscores the evolving nature of Nigeria’s security challenge, where terrorism, banditry and transnational crime are increasingly interconnected. Meanwhile, the military has assured residents of the affected states that surveillance and clearance operations are ongoing. Troops have reportedly been placed on heightened alert across border communities, while ground and air operations continue to track fleeing terrorists. The Armed Forces urged citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by reporting suspicious movements, noting that community intelligence remains critical in countering cross-border terrorism. Nigeria has long battled Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East, but recent developments point to a widening threat axis in the North-West, driven partly by instability in neighbouring Sahel countries.