…Fear rises that weapons are headed for Nigeria
…US says military seizures in Nigeria “biggest intelligence haul since 9/11”
By Abu Adamu
Nigerian security forces have gone on heightened operational alert along the country’s northern frontier following the devastating terrorist assault on a military base in Inates, Niger Republic, amid fears that sophisticated weapons captured by Islamic State (ISIS) fighters could eventually find their way into Nigeria despite recent major counter-terrorism successes against the group.
The heightened vigilance follows the circulation of a video purportedly released by ISIS showing a substantial cache of military hardware allegedly seized during the attack on the Nigerien base. Military analysts say the footage appears to show artillery rockets, heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons capable of significantly enhancing the combat capability of jihadist groups operating across the Sahel.
Although there is no evidence that the captured weapons have crossed into Nigeria, security officials say the country’s long and porous border with Niger has historically been exploited by terrorists and criminal syndicates to move fighters, arms and logistics across the region.
The development has prompted Nigerian security agencies to intensify border surveillance, intelligence gathering and the protection of forward operating bases amid concerns that the latest ISIS battlefield gains could embolden extremist groups seeking revenge after suffering a string of major losses inside Nigeria.
The renewed security alert comes even as the United States disclosed what it described as one of the most successful counter-terrorism operations ever conducted against ISIS in Nigeria.
Speaking during an interview with PragerU CEO Marissa Streit, the United States Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, Dr. Sebastian Gorka, revealed that a recent joint operation in Nigeria resulted in the killing of 199 jihadists in a single raid.
According to Gorka, the operation also yielded the largest cache of terrorist electronic equipment recovered by the United States since the September 11, 2001 attacks, forcing American forces to deploy an additional aircraft solely to evacuate intelligence materials seized from ISIS camps.
He said the recovered devices are now being analysed by U.S. intelligence experts to map ISIS communications, identify operational networks, and prevent future terrorist attacks.
“Three weeks ago in Nigeria, I watched our operatives kill 199 jihadists in one operation. We also needed an extra plane to bring home all the electronic material we captured. The haul was three times bigger than any enemy electronics haul since 9/11,” Gorka said.
The White House official described the intelligence recovery as potentially more valuable than the battlefield victory itself, saying it would provide unprecedented insight into how ISIS communicates, recruits, and coordinates operations across multiple countries.
The operation forms part of expanded security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States since late 2025, following agreements reached during National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu’s visit to Washington to establish a Joint Working Group on security and counter-terrorism.
Military analysts, however, caution that the latest developments underscore the fluid nature of the regional terror threat.
One analyst told KTH Daily that jihadist organisations operating across Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Lake Chad Basin have become increasingly interconnected, sharing intelligence, manpower, tactics, and, in some cases, captured weapons.
He noted that while security forces may eliminate hundreds of terrorists in one theatre, successful raids elsewhere could replenish extremist arsenals with sophisticated military equipment capable of sustaining future attacks.
“The Inates attack is a wake-up call. Every military base overrun by terrorists not only weakens national defence but strengthens extremist networks with weapons that may later be deployed across the region, including Nigeria,” he said.
He added that Nigeria’s decision to strengthen surveillance along its northern border reflects recognition that today’s battlefield success against ISIS must be matched with vigilance against new threats emerging from neighbouring Sahel states.