Boko Haram insurgents ambushed Nigerian Army personnel from the 50 Task Force Brigade in the Lake Chad region. The attack followed the military’s successful takeover of a Boko Haram enclave in Krenowa five days earlier. The soldiers came under heavy bombardment, forcing them to withdraw and abandon 12 out of 15 motorbikes deployed for the operation. An Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was damaged, and its driver escaped with a leg injury. The ambush killed a lieutenant and two vigilante members; their bodies could not be recovered immediately due to intense insurgent firepower.
20 Jan 2024 · Krenowa, Marte, Borno
Deaths
3
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
4
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Soldiers retreated to Marte town and took shelter at the headquarters of the 27 Task Force. The military high command could not be reached for comment; calls to Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, went unanswered
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
The ambush was a direct reprisal for the military’s successful takeover of the Boko Haram enclave in Krenowa five days earlier. The continues to use ambushes and hit‑and‑run tactics after losing territorial control.
Trajectory
The ambush occurred against a backdrop of intensified military operations in the Lake Chad region. Despite initial success in taking control of the Krenowa enclave, the military suffered a deadly counter‑attack, highlighting the persistent threat posed by Boko Haram even after territorial gains. The inability to immediately recover the bodies of the fallen underscores the continued operational challenges faced by troops in the area
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier attacks including 04 July 2019 – Damboa ambush targeting troops during clearance operations, 23 March 2020 – Goneri (the Gorge) ambush following a military offensive, 27 June 2020 – Komala convoy ambush targeting escorted civilian movement, 07 July 2020 – Bulabulin ambush on returning troops after patrol operations, and 09 January 2021 – Gazagana convoy ambush disrupting reinforcement movement, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram conducts retaliatory ambushes against military units shortly after territorial losses—using hit-and-run tactics and superior local terrain knowledge to inflict casualties, recover momentum, and demonstrate continued operational resilience despite sustained military pressure in the Lake Chad region.
Pattern
Military Ambush
Related — Ambush
Four soldiers were shot and wounded in an ambush by members of Boko Haram in Maiduguri. The attack was a direct act of retaliation, occurring shortly after the arrest of 15 sect members during military raids on Boko Haram hideouts in the city
Boko Haram militants fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at a military van in an ambush in Baga, killing two soldiers and destroying the vehicle.The soldiers were driving back to their base outside Baga to mobilize more troops to help drag an armored vehicle stuck in the mud when they were attacked . A prolonged gun battle ensued, forcing the gunmen to flee
ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) fighters, armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), ambushed a Nigerian military convoy on a logistics supply mission near the town of Marte in the Lake Chad region. The convoy was en route to deliver food and other supplies to troops deployed in the region when the militants opened fire, killing 10 soldiers, including two officers. Security sources reported that eight soldiers were also injured in the attack. The insurgents looted the supplies and set two trucks ablaze before retreating into the bush.