ISWAP vs Boko Haram: Escalating Violence Sparks Tension in Borno
The Lake Chad Basin has reportedly descended into one of the most intense episodes of insurgent-on-insurgent warfare in recent years, as Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) launched a massive coordinated attack on its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Naija News understands that Boko Haram captured multiple island strongholds in Abadam and Kukawa local government areas of Borno State.
Between November 5 and 8, 2025, JAS fighters mounted a sweeping multi-axis offensive across Sahel 1, Dogon Chuku, Mangari and the riverine belt linking Tumbun Gini – Tumbun Dalo – Tumbun Shanu – Mangari – Dumba, pushing ISWAP from positions they have controlled since 2021.
According to multiple intelligence sources, the assault was led by senior JAS commanders Hassan Buduma and Mohd Hassan, who mobilised several watercraft loaded with fighters and heavy weapons.
They advanced in waves from Tumbun Gini into the upper river basin, launching a dawn raid that reportedly overwhelmed ISWAP forces.
“It was an amphibious assault in insurgent style. This is not a misunderstanding; this is a takeover,” one intelligence official familiar with the terrain told Zagazola Makama.
ISR platforms later detected heat signatures consistent with bodies floating on the water while others were buried in shallow pits, though casualty figures remain unclear.
ISWAP fighters were eventually forced to abandon their camps, fleeing across the river channels into mainland hideouts around Ali Jillimari, Metele, Kangarwa and Gudumbali.
The fierce fighting marks the biggest territorial loss for ISWAP around the Lake Chad islands since Abubakar Shekau’s death in 2021.
JAS now appears intent on consolidating control of waterways that serve as critical arms, fuel and smuggling corridors between Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The Lake Chad islands host multi-million-naira extortion networks targeting fishermen, food traders and transporters. Whoever controls the waterways controls the revenue.
The receding water levels this season have opened new land routes and exposed previously submerged settlements, giving JAS fighters mobility advantages and making ISWAP’s old defensive lines vulnerable.
According to intercepted communications, JAS has vowed to “totally eliminate ISWAP presence” in the islands and advance further south into Marte and Ngala LGAs, where ISWAP maintains its central headquarters.
Zagazola Makama reports that the clashes now represent a shift from sporadic ambushes to an organised territorial campaign.