At approximately 5:30 pm, dozens of ISWAP fighters in trucks fitted with machine guns attacked the military base in Marte town and a nearby checkpoint, overrunning the facility after a fierce battle. The attack came just two months after the government had resettled some 2,870 people in the town, which had been abandoned for six years. Residents said the gunmen torched buildings, looted food stores and military equipment, and hoisted their flag over the captured barracks. Hundreds of civilians fled into the surrounding bush, while surviving troops and police officers retreated to Dikwa, about 25 km away. A previously repelled attack had served as a probe, enabling the insurgents to mobilise reinforcements for the decisive raid.
15 Jan 2021 · Marte, Marte, Borno
Deaths
7
Kidnapped
1
Total casualties
7
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
The Nigerian Army stated troops had "tactically withdrew" and subsequently returned to ambush the attackers. The Air Task Force conducted airstrikes between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m., destroying seven gun trucks and "decimating" an unconfirmed number of terrorists
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
ISWAP’s deliberate targeting of a recently repopulated town and its military base to reverse government resettlement gains and demonstrate continued territorial control.
Trajectory
The attack was not an isolated event but the peak of a larger ISWAP offensive in the Lake Chad region. It followed the military’s claimed destruction of ISWAP’s second‑largest camp in Talala village and was seen by analysts as a “fightback”. The attack also demonstrated the enduring vulnerability of the military’s “super camp” strategy: even when troops regrouped in fortified positions, insurgents could still strike at will. The raid forced the military to temporarily abandon Marte, which remained under insurgent control for several days before being retaken on 17 January. However, the barracks had been completely burnt and the insurgents had made off with weaponry and vehicles.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier insurgent attacks including 08 September 2018 – Gudumbali overrun leading to temporary insurgent control, 18 November 2018 – Metele attack involving large-scale assault on a military base, 05 August 2019 – Monguno clash featuring sustained engagement with troops, 07 January 2020 – Monguno infiltration and temporary occupation, and 10 July 2020 – Baga attack targeting a strategic town with military presence, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Islamic State West Africa Province conducts aggressive assaults on military bases in recently stabilized or repopulated areas—forcing troop withdrawal, briefly seizing control, and undermining government resettlement efforts to project authority and maintain territorial relevance in the Lake Chad basin.
Pattern
Military Base Assault
Related — Armed Attack
Militants from the Lakurawa jihadist group launched a coordinated attack on Kwallajiya village in Tangaza Local Government Area, Sokoto State. The assault occurred while many residents were preparing for afternoon prayers, with many victims working on their farms on the outskirts of the village . The attackers shot indiscriminately, set homes, farmlands, food stores, and telecommunications infrastructure on fire, and looted shops. The attack also extended to two other villages—Talba and Fasnaki—in a coordinated operation.
Seven gunmen attacked the Bauchi home of Mr. Zakka Magaji, Senior Special Assistant on Christian Religious Affairs to Governor Bala Mohammed, around 1:00 am. The aide was unhurt, but one person in the residence sustained injuries and was rushed to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital. The attack is perceived as targeted because of Magaji’s Christian identity.
Around midnight, armed men launched a coordinated attack on the Abagana community, located directly opposite the official IDP camp. The attackers targeted displaced persons and villagers, using machetes and firearms, killing at least eight people, including a family of six.