A security patrol team attached to Operation Restore Peace was ambushed along the Ajimaka Village road while transiting toward Rukubi town. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the team, killing the lead officer and two civilian residents. Following the shooting, the attackers specifically targeted the officer's weapon, carting away his service rifle before retreating into the forest.
14 Dec 2025 · Ajimaka, Doma, Nasarawa
Deaths
3
Injured
0
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
3
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
The victims were taken to Rukubi General Hospital, where they were confirmed dead. The Nasarawa State Police Command, under CP Shettima Jauro-Mohammed, intensified search operations in the Doma forests to recover the stolen AK-47 rifle (30 rounds) and apprehend the killers.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Weapon acquisition, intimidation of state security forces, erosion of rural law enforcement capacity.
Trajectory
The Doma-Keana axis in Nasarawa has seen a sharp increase in violence throughout late 2025. This incident followed closely on the heels of protests in Keana (November 2025) where youths blocked highways to decry the same pattern of "persistent abductions and attacks" by forest-based gunmen.
Cycle notes
Ajimaka has a history of high-fatality incidents, most notably the April 2021 massacre where 9 people were killed by suspected herdsmen. The 2025 ambush indicates that while the scale has shifted toward targeted security strikes, the area remains a volatile flashpoint on the Nasarawa/Benue boundary.
Pattern
The Rifle Harvest — This ambush highlights a shift from purely criminal robbery to "asset-focused" attacks. By killing an Inspector and specifically carting away his rifle, the group increases its own lethality for future operations. This mirrors a persistent trend in Nasarawa's border communities where security agents are targeted to replenish insurgent armories.
Sources
Related — Ambush
ISWAP fighters ambushed a Nigerian military patrol in Mogula village. The militants opened fire, killing four soldiers and seizing two machine guns. The insurgents also attempted to take two military pickups but were forced to abandon them due to the poor condition of the road; however, they dismantled and went away with the anti-aircraft guns mounted on the vehicles
A large group of over 100 Civilian JTF members from Monguno and Maiduguri were conducting a clearing operation in the dense Monguno Forest on Friday, 30 August, based on intelligence that a major Boko Haram camp was located near the villages of Kaleri, Shuwari, Maganari and Nannari. The vigilantes had initially arranged for a military escort, but after waiting for hours for soldiers who never arrived, they proceeded alone. As they advanced, they encountered a group of men wearing Nigerian Army camouflage driving three captured security patrol vehicles painted in military colours. Believing these were friendly troops from a nearby battalion who had arrived ahead of them, the vigilantes lowered their guard and approached. The disguised insurgents immediately opened fire at point‑blank range with assault rifles, killing approximately 15 vigilantes on the spot. The remaining nine who attempted to flee were reportedly crushed by the insurgents’ vehicles. At least 24 vigilante members were confirmed dead, with 36 others missing and feared dead. Five survivors with broken limbs were reportedly rescued by villagers
Four Christians were shot dead by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in Potiskum, Yobe State, when gunmen opened fire on their car as they stopped for fuel at a gas station. The victims, who were from the Igbo ethnic group, had been fleeing the violence in Maiduguri to their hometown in eastern Nigeria. The attack occurred around 3:00 pm. Yobe State Police Commander Tanko Lawal confirmed the deaths but said he could not definitively attribute the attack to Boko Haram.