Suspected Boko Haram fighters fleeing a joint vigilante operation by Nigerian and Benin Republic groups killed five forest guards in Kwara State. The attack occurred while the guards slept inside an elementary school in Nuku, Kaiama Local Government Area, at about 3:30 a.m. The assailants, believed to be led by Mallam Sadiku, set several operational motorcycles on fire before withdrawing toward the Bani forest that connects to Old Oyo National Park. A vigilante commander and a forest guard from nearby Kemanji confirmed the timing of the raid. Kwara police command verified the incident, noting that a mobile police camp was also hit. Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire‑Adeyemi said a patrol vehicle was extensively damaged, confirmed the deaths and added that officers repelled the assault. Security sources linked the killing to sustained pressure from a cross‑border operation involving vigilantes from northern Benin and Babana in Niger State, which has been targeting suspected terrorist enclaves around Kainji National Park. "The joint vigilante teams have been engaging the Boko Haram fighters since Wednesday, and they have been on the run since then," said vigilante Mohammed Mora. He added that Babana operatives pursued the group through the Kainji forest, encountering seven improvised explosive devices that detonated before reaching their targets. A forest guard reported that the fighters were moving toward Old Oyo National Park, crossing the Bani axis, and that intelligence suggests another faction operates in the area.
Mallam Sadiku's Boko Haram faction continues to evade capture despite the recent cross‑border vigilante offensive, underscoring the limited reach of the joint operation.
The raid reflects a broader security dynamic in the Kainji axis, where vigilante teams from Nigeria, Benin and Babana have been pursuing militants since Wednesday, confronting IEDs and dense forest terrain. Intelligence from July 2025 warned that Sadiku's group had shifted from Shiroro to Kainji National Park, subsequently launching mass abductions and village raids, with analysts suspecting links to Ansaru and the al‑Qaeda affiliate JNIM.
For ordinary residents of Kwara and Niger states, the incident signals that forest guards, teachers and rural communities remain vulnerable to sudden attacks, disrupting livelihoods and eroding confidence in local safety measures.
The episode fits a pattern of armed groups exploiting forest corridors to regroup after offens
