Terrorists linked to Al-Qaeda Invade Border Community Near Kwara State*** Capture Military Post*** Security Analysts Warn Kwara At Risk
By Omowumi Omotosho
A terror faction affiliated with al-Qaeda, Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), has announced its involvement in a deadly assault on Basso, a town on the Beninese side of the border, roughly 15 kilometres from Babana and neighbouring communities close to Nigeria’s Kainji National Park.
In a message circulated as part of its propaganda efforts on June 12, JNIM boasted of capturing a military outpost belonging to the Beninese forces in Basso, located in the Borgou region of Benin Republic.
The group’s Arabic-language statement offered no additional specifics regarding the operation.
This development heightens fears about JNIM’s increasing footprint across West Africa, especially in the Sahel, where the group holds sway over parts of Mali, Burkina Faso, and northern Benin.
The latest incident is the second attack near Basso in recent times. Back in April, JNIM fighters reportedly struck an armoured vehicle of the Beninese army in the same vicinity. That same month, Premium Times detailed how coordinated JNIM offensives on two military bases in northern Benin left 70 soldiers dead.
Security analysts have consistently warned that the persistent violence emanating from the Sahel could deepen instability in Nigeria, especially in states sharing borders with volatile regions like Kwara and Niger.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, reinforced these concerns at a recent gathering of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he addressed the complex security issues confronting the nation during President Bola Tinubu’s tenure.
According to Ribadu, the turmoil in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — nations now governed by military juntas — has exacerbated pressure along Nigeria’s northern frontier.
Compounding the problem is the rise of new extremist factions such as Lakurawa and Mahmuda, which have embraced strategies and doctrines aligned with international jihadist movements.
JNIM, established in 2017 through the unification of Ansar al-Din, al-Murabitun, Macina Liberation Front (MLF), and the Sahara wing of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has since become a leading terror force across the Sahel region.
To counter these growing transnational threats, nations within the Lake Chad Basin have intensified collaboration through the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
