From Sambisa to Kainji: how Boko Haram- Bandits- JNIM are driving a cross-regional terror alliance in Nigeria

By: Zagazola Makama

Emerging security assessments identifying specific commanders, bomb-makers and facilitators point to a deepening, evidence-based pattern in which Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), organised bandit groups and Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) elements are increasingly functioning as a loose but lethal coalition across Nigeria’s North-East, North-West and North-Central zones. Please

At the core of the emerging threat is a JAS suicide-bombing network traced to the Ali Ngulde camp, with technical direction allegedly provided by veteran IED expert Munzir Abu Ziyadah. Intelligence indicates that Abu Ziyadah’s team prepared up to 10 person-borne IED (PBIED) attacks, routed through the Ngoshe Mountains, transiting Gazuwa and Ngom, before infiltrating towns across Borno State.

The Dec. 24 suicide bombing at Gamboru Market mosque in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) is assessed by Zagazola Makama as one execution point within this wider plan, rather than a stand-alone operation. Subsequent intelligence specifically flagged Gwoza and Pulka, particularly on market days, as prospective targets, with reports confirming that one female Boko Haram member was embedded among the PBIED elements an operational detail consistent with past JAS tactics in soft targets.

Deep sources further sheds light on JAS’ internal Militant structure. Before his reported death, Ustaz, the Amir al-Jaish in Barwa, served as the de facto number two to Bakura Doro, overseeing the security of JAS’ headquarters. Alongside him, JAS maintained a decentralized command arrangement under three principal terrorist leaders : Ali Ngulde (Mandara Mountains axis), Sadikku (North-West and North-Central axis), and Ustaz (Barwa).

Recent clashes point to how rivalry within jihadist factions can intensify violence. Following a surprise JAS attack on ISWAP positions around the Lake Chad islands, ISWAP reportedly retaliated by killing Ustaz, signalling that internecine conflict remains a driver of high-impact attacks as factions seek to reassert dominance.

While the North-East continues to face the classic Boko Haram suicide threat, developments in the North-West reveal a dangerous mutation. Intelligence linking bandit kingpins to former Sambisa-based IED experts marks a significant escalation in the character of violence in Zamfara and neighbouring states.

Sources names Alhaji Beti, identified as the younger brother of slain JAS/Ansaru leader Alhaji Bello, as a central facilitator of terror-bandit collaboration. Bello was killed in Rijana Forest, Kaduna State, in 2024, but his network appears to have survived.

According to the sources, Alhaji Beti is hosting Sambisa-linked IED experts inside Gando Forest, Zamfara State. These specialists are reportedly fabricating IEDs intended for deployment along critical access routes in Bukkuyum Local Government Area, with spillover risk into Sokoto and Kebbi States. The fabrication of roadside and vehicle-borne IEDs for deployment along major supply routes in Bukkuyum, parts of Sokoto and Kebbi represents a strategic shift aimed at disrupting movement, strangling commerce and stretching military response capacity.

As of Dec. 25, intelligence and community confirmations indicated that about 25 IED couriers had laid road-side IED (RSBIED) lanes along the Kyarum–Kairu MSR in Bukkuyum.
This evolution manifested starkly on Dec. 27 along the Dansadau–Gusau corridor, where coordinated IED detonations against a civilian convoy, followed by an attempted ambush on military elements, killed eight civilians.

The attack bore hallmarks of jihadist doctrine: layered explosives, exploitation of panic, and a follow-on armed engagement. Zagazola describe it as a clear departure from traditional bandit hit-and-run tactics. It pointed to how banditry is evolving beyond ransom-driven crime into terror-style warfare.

This intelligence also aligns with the Dec. 27 incident near Mai-Ayaya Village, Magami District, Gusau LGA, where multiple IEDs struck a civilian convoy escorted by troops, killing eight civilians. The follow-on ambush against an Army tanker reflects tactics commonly associated with jihadist groups rather than traditional banditry, lending weight to assessments that Boko Haram expertise is being exported into the North-West theatre.

Baba Adamu, also known as Kachallah Sadikku, was actively training the Dogo Gide-led group in IED construction to escalate attacks in the North-Central zone. This training pipeline coincides with reported collaboration between JNIM, Ansaru and JAS elements.

A case in point was the Dec. 22 attack on an NSCDC checkpoint at Ibrahim Leteh Village, along the Wawa–Luma MSR in Borgu LGA, Niger State. The attackers suspected JNIM fighters operating with Ansaru/JAS elements escaped through the Kainji National Park axis after seizing a rifle. The outpost’s proximity about 3 km to Wawa town and 9 km to the 221 Armoured Brigade barracks illustrate the strategic intent behind the assault.

Zagazola Makama identify Kainji National Park as a critical sanctuary, repeatedly referenced as a rear base for insurgents operating across the Niger–Kwara corridor. Communities such as Nuku, Durumma, Woro, Wawa and Babanna have formed a ring of recent attack sites around the park, reinforcing concerns that jihadist groups are methodically making preparation for more ambitious operations. The most recent attacks coordinated by Boko Haram terror networks was the abduction of 130 students from the St. Mary’s Catholic School, Papiri in November 24 and 26, 2025.

Taken together, the intelligence paints a picture of a multi-zonal, adaptive and increasingly lethal threat. The convergence of JAS suicide expertise, bandit mobility networks and JNIM operational doctrine represents a qualitative escalation that blurs the line between insurgency and organised crime.

This convergence reflects a deliberate strategy: JAS supplies suicide bombing and IED know-how; bandit leaders provide terrain access and logistics; JNIM contributes regional connectivity and combat experience. The result is a hybrid threat capable of mass-casualty attacks on highways, markets and places of worship.

For Nigeria’s security architecture, the implications are profound. The prioritisation of EOD-led route clearance on vulnerable MSRs, intensified surveillance of forest sanctuaries, and proactive intelligence fusion across theatres are no longer optional, they are strategic imperatives. Equally critical is sustained community engagement, without which early warning and HUMINT pipelines will remain fragile.

Zagazola Makama therefore calls for the need for anticipatory action rather than reactive deployments. As extremist actors seek to widen their operational depth and geographic reach, the cost of delayed or fragmented responses will be measured not only in disrupted trade and insecurity, but in civilian lives.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region.

From Sambisa to Kainji: how Boko Haram- Bandits- JNIM are driving a cross-regional terror alliance in Nigeria

Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment to Strategic Trade, Economic Partnership with China

By: Michael Mike

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening strategic, bilateral trade and economic partnership with China, reflecting positively on the progress recorded in relations between both countries throughout 2025.

The reaffirmation followed the elevation of Nigeria–China relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, agreed by President Bola Tinubu and President Xi Jinping during the Nigerian leader’s state visit to China in September 2024. Since then, engagements between both countries have intensified across political, economic and technical levels, further consolidating a relationship built on mutual respect, development cooperation and shared interests.

Over the past year, cooperation expanded in key priority areas such as infrastructure development, trade and investment, industrial capacity building, technology exchange and people-to-people relations. These engagements, Nigerian officials say, have helped to deepen institutional linkages and provide a clearer framework for achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Director-General and Global Liaison of the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership, Mr. Joseph Tegbe said Nigeria relationship with China remains guided by the country’s long-standing foreign policy principles, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as adherence to established international norms.

He noted that in this context, the Federal Government has consistently upheld the One-China principle as the foundation of its diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.

Looking ahead to 2026, he expressed the readiness of the country to consolidate and deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in more practical and results-driven ways. He noted that emphasis will continue to be placed on cooperation that directly supports Nigeria’s development priorities, including economic diversification, infrastructure delivery, human capital development, technology transfer and long-term sustainability.

Commenting on the future of the partnership, Tegbe expressed confidence that cooperation between both countries would continue to mature.

According to him, sustained engagement and shared commitment would ensure the delivery of lasting outcomes that advance the common vision of a China–Nigeria community with a shared future.

Nigeria Reaffirms Commitment to Strategic Trade, Economic Partnership with China

Bandits kill two, abduct woman in Chikun, Kaduna

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected bandits have killed two persons, injured one and abducted a woman during an attack on Rimi Kamazo community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Zagazola report that the incident occurred on Dec. 28 at about 11:50 a.m. when an unspecified number of armed bandits invaded the community, firing sporadically and causing panic among residents.

Victims of the attack were identified as Zainab Amos Bagoro, 55, and Aminu Amos Bagoro, 25, who were shot and fatally injured. Another victim, Gayus Amos Bagoro, sustained gunshot injuries and is currently receiving treatment.

The attackers also abducted Justina Abednego, 25, and took her to an unknown destination.

Sources said security operatives received information about the attack at about 2:00 a.m. on Dec. 29 and immediately mobilised to the area in collaboration with other security agencies.

The injured victims were rushed to hospital for medical attention, where the two critically injured persons were confirmed dead, while the surviving victim is receiving treatment at St. Gerald Hospital, Kakuri, Kaduna.

The corpses of the deceased were deposited at the hospital morgue for autopsy.

Security forces have intensified efforts to rescue the abducted woman and track down the perpetrators, while investigations into the incident have commenced.

Bandits kill two, abduct woman in Chikun, Kaduna