President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has condemned the recent terrorist attack on Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of lives.
The assault was carried out by insurgents from Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), but Nigerian military operations later killed more than 50 of the attackers through targeted airstrikes.
The air component of the Northeast Joint Task Force under Operation Hadin Kai launched multiple precision strikes on the fleeing terrorists after they attempted to overrun Nigerian Army artillery positions in Ngoshe, a border community in Gwoza LGA.
In a statement issued Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu extended condolences to families of civilians and military personnel killed during the attack.
The President also acknowledged that some casualties occurred during a Nigerian Air Force aerial operation targeting escaping terrorists, in what authorities described as a case of friendly fire.
Tinubu described the incident as a cruel and senseless assault on innocent citizens and urged residents of Borno and Nigerians at large not to give in to fear.
He commended the Armed Forces and other security agencies for their swift response, noting that the operation forced many terrorists to retreat after dozens were killed in the airstrikes.
The President also directed security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue people abducted during the attack and strengthen measures to protect communities across the North-East.
According to security sources in Maiduguri, the insurgents launched a coordinated attack on March 3, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m., targeting Nigerian Army artillery positions in Ngoshe, which lies roughly 12 kilometres south of Pulka near the Cameroon border.
The community had previously suffered repeated insurgent attacks between 2013 and 2024, forcing many residents to flee to neighbouring Cameroon for more than a decade.
A military officer said the terrorists attempted to capture the artillery positions through a surprise evening assault but were met with resistance from troops.
Ground forces later carried out what security officials described as a tactical withdrawal under heavy fire to protect personnel and equipment, while reinforcements were mobilised to defend Ngoshe and other nearby border communities.
Following real-time intelligence from troops on the ground, air assets were deployed to strike the fleeing insurgents as they moved in clusters along escape routes. Precision strikes targeted the militants at two separate locations.
Battle damage assessments indicated that more than 50 terrorists were killed in two separate strike runs, as coordinated ground and air operations continued for about an hour to prevent the insurgents from escaping into nearby forests.
