Al-Qaeda–linked JNIM claims first attack in Nigeria, killing soldier in Kwara
An al-Qaeda–linked armed group active in the Sahel has claimed responsibility for an attack in central Nigeria that killed a soldier this week — its first known operation inside the country.
In a video posted to its Telegram channel late on Thursday, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) said it carried out the raid in Kwara State in the early hours of Wednesday, killing a soldier and seizing ammunition and cash.
A Nigerian military source told Reuters that soldiers on patrol were attacked and one soldier was killed; the army did not respond to a formal request for comment.
JNIM is one of several armed groups operating across West Africa and the Sahel.
The group has said it aims to establish an Islamic caliphate and to drive out governments it describes as influenced by the West. Formed in 2017, JNIM began in Mali and later expanded operations to Burkina Faso and parts of Niger. It has also launched attacks in the northernmost regions of Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin and Togo.
In recent months JNIM declared a blockade on fuel imports into parts of Mali, crippling services and forcing some schools and universities to close.
In May, the group mounted a major attack on the town of Djibo in Burkina Faso that killed about 200 soldiers, and last year it attacked Barsalogho, killing around 200 civilians.
The group’s apparent move into Nigeria comes as the country already faces insurgencies from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Years of conflict in the north have killed tens of thousands and displaced more than two million people.
Last week President Bola Tinubu appointed new service chiefs in a broad shake-up of the military leadership, saying the changes were intended to strengthen national security.
On Thursday, without naming the groups, Tinubu warned the new commanders about the rise of armed groups in the north central, northwest and parts of southern Nigeria.
“We must not allow these new threats to fester. We must be decisive and proactive. Let us smash the new snakes right at the head,” he said.
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