Boko Haram militants have intensified attacks across the Lake Chad region, targeting soldiers, abducting civilians and raising fears of a broader resurgence after the collapse of a reported ceasefire and a reduction in the United States’ military presence.
The insurgency has devastated communities in northeastern Nigeria and neighbouring countries for 17 years. Although the frequency of attacks declined in recent months, militants have recently resumed assaults on military positions and kidnapping operations.
Local sources said about 10 soldiers were killed in an attack near N’Guigmi, a town in Niger’s southeastern Diffa region near Lake Chad. The area borders Nigeria and lies close to several locations where Boko Haram factions have maintained camps.
Witnesses writing on social media said 10 soldiers and four members of Niger’s National Guard were killed.
Niger’s official news agency did not provide a specific casualty toll but confirmed that deaths had occurred following an attack by Boko Haram militants on the outskirts of N’Guigmi.
Meanwhile, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has linked the worsening security situation in his country to instability across the wider Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Tinubu also said militants responsible for abducting schoolchildren and teachers had demanded that the federal government release detained members of their groups.
Northeastern Nigeria has faced an armed insurgency since 2009, initially led by Boko Haram and later complicated by the rise of its rival faction, Islamic State West Africa Province.
Leaked Nigerian State Security Service documents, reported by local news outlet TheCable, claimed that a ceasefire agreement between militants and the governments of two Nigerian states had collapsed, contributing to the latest escalation.
The documents reportedly warned that Boko Haram was preparing major attacks in the Michika local government area of Adamawa state and the Askira-Uba area of Borno state.
According to the leaked memorandum, militants were also planning to abduct senior government officials, local councillors, district leaders, Christian clergy and residents of affected communities.
The alleged connection between the planned attacks and the reported collapse of the ceasefire has not been independently confirmed by the Nigerian government.
Separate documents reportedly claimed that suspects linked to a failed 2025 coup plot had discussed recruiting former Boko Haram fighters and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force to support planned operations.
A surge in deadly attacks and kidnappings prompted Tinubu to declare a nationwide security emergency in 2025 and led to increased US military involvement.
US President Donald Trump said Christians in Nigeria were facing persecution and described the violence as “genocide” committed by extremists. The Nigerian government and many conflict experts have rejected that characterisation, noting that both Muslim and Christian communities have suffered heavily from militant attacks.
In May, US and Nigerian forces carried out joint air strikes in the Lake Chad region, reportedly killing nearly 200 Islamic State fighters, including the group’s second-highest-ranking commander.
However, in early July, the head of the US Africa Command announced that Washington had reduced its military presence in Nigeria, withdrawing a substantial portion of approximately 200 troops deployed as part of a special operation against insurgents in the northeast.
Security cooperation was subsequently limited largely to intelligence-sharing and logistical support for Nigerian forces.
The reduction in US personnel has raised concerns over a potential security vacuum, particularly as several major kidnapping cases remain unresolved.
On July 23, relatives of abducted victims and other residents gathered at the Nigerian Union of Journalists’ press centre to mark 100 days since one kidnapping incident and renew demands for the captives’ release.
Concern is also growing over the fate of 78 schoolchildren abducted in separate attacks in the Askira-Uba area.
Forty-two pupils were kidnapped during a May attack on Musa Primary and Junior Secondary School. On June 29, suspected militants raided Government Day Secondary School and abducted another 36 students and a teacher.