The Chief of Army Staff visited troops in the northeast on Saturday following an attack by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters that killed 15 soldiers and five civilian militia members in Borno State.

The militants reportedly overran the military base in Mairari village, near Lake Chad, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, looted weapons and destroyed the facility before troops withdrew towards Monguno. Several soldiers were also reported missing, raising fears they may have been captured.

Last week, another ISWAP attack on a military outpost in neighbouring Kukawa reportedly killed about two dozen militants and soldiers. The United Nations estimates the 17-year insurgency has displaced around two million people in the northeast.