By Seven members of Nigeria’s Security and Civil Defence Corps disappeared following a major ambush by Boko Haram militants in north-central Nigeria, marking another escalation in the group’s campaign to destabilize the country’s infrastructure.
The attack occurred Monday when approximately 200 Boko Haram fighters ambushed a convoy of 80 security operatives patrolling power infrastructure in Shiroro, Niger state. Agency spokesperson Babawale Afolabi reported Tuesday that security forces killed at least 50 insurgents in the engagement.
The incident follows a pattern of infrastructure attacks by the militant group, which recently caused a weeklong power outage across northern Nigeria after damaging critical equipment, according to the state-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria.
While Boko Haram traditionally operates in northeastern Nigeria, government officials confirm the group has established cells in the predominantly Muslim Niger state, where it has conducted multiple attacks against both military and civilian targets.
The militant organization, which launched its insurgency in 2009 to oppose Western education and enforce strict Islamic law, has evolved into Africa’s longest-running militant conflict. United Nations data shows the violence has claimed 35,000 civilian lives and displaced more than two million people in northeastern Nigeria alone.
The group gained international notoriety in 2014 with the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok village in Borno state. Violence continues unabated, with at least 100 villagers killed in September when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a market, worshippers, and homes in northeastern Nigeria.
