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Dozens of fighters were reportedly killed on Tuesday as rival extremist factions—Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and a Boko Haram splinter loyal to Abu Umaima—clashed in a fresh outbreak of violence along the Lake Chad Basin corridor of Abadam Local Government Area.
Security sources said the gun battle erupted around 6:00 a.m. near Dogon Chiku Buhari, a border settlement barely a kilometre from the Nigeria–Niger frontier, and raged until about 10:15 a.m. The fighters of the Bukura faction—aligned with Boko Haram—were believed to have advanced from lakeside settlements on the Niger Republic side, engaging ISWAP elements entrenched on Nigerian territory.
“The fighting took place east of Tubum Mota, close to the Bosso–Diffa axis in Niger. It lasted several hours and resulted in heavy casualties on both sides,” a security source told Zagazola Makama.
Tubum Mota, east of Malam Fatori and roughly 19 kilometres from the town, has remained a volatile hotspot as rival jihadist groups vie for control of routes, recruits and resources across the wider Lake Chad Basin.
Analysts say the renewed bloodshed reflects deepening fault lines within the extremist ecosystem. ISWAP has intensified efforts to consolidate authority across the basin by absorbing or eliminating splinter groups, while the Bukura/Abu Umaima faction has resisted subordination, leveraging cross-border mobility and local alliances to survive.
The area’s porous borders continue to complicate counterterrorism efforts by Nigerian forces and the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), as fighters shift bases rapidly between Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Residents around Abadam remain on edge as security agencies monitor the situation, wary that the latest clash could trigger retaliatory attacks or further destabilise communities along the fragile border axis.
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