EXCLUSIVE: How Boko Haram Slaughtered Nigerian Army Captain Kamal While the Nation Slept
Another promising life cut short. Another officer sacrificed to a war the government pretends to be fighting. Captain Kamal, a senior officer of the Nigerian Army, was brutally killed by Boko Haram terrorists in the early hours of Wednesday in Izge community, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The attack, which occurred around 1 a.m., was yet another reminder that Nigeria’s war against terrorism is being lost on the battlefield and in the corridors of power.
Terror in the Night: Kamal’s Final Stand
According to Emir of Gwoza, Mohammed Shehu Timta, the insurgents stormed the sleeping farming village, unleashing chaos. Gunshots rang out as terrified residents fled into the darkness.
In the ensuing battle, Captain Kamal and his men engaged the attackers outnumbered, likely outgunned, and yet again abandoned by a system that sends its heroes to the frontlines with empty promises and broken weapons.
Despite support from local hunters, vigilantes, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), Kamal was killed, along with another brave soldier. A few of the terrorists were also neutralized, and their motorcycles, bicycles, and a rifle were recovered. But what does a rifle matter when a life is gone?
The Human Cost of Government Failure
Captain Kamal is not just another statistic he is a symbol of Nigeria’s crumbling military infrastructure and broken leadership. While high-ranking officials make speeches from air-conditioned offices, the people on the ground soldiers, civilians, and local defenders continue to die in a war that has been politicized and prolonged for profit.
A recent report by SBM Intelligence revealed that over 2,000 people were killed in Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025 alone. Among them were 136 security personnel, proof that those tasked with defending the nation are now primary targets in a war they were never truly equipped to fight.
Borno: The Epicenter of Bloodshed
Borno State, once known for its rich cultural heritage, has become ground zero for Nigeria’s terror crisis, recording 515 deaths in just three months. The numbers from other states are equally grim: Zamfara (408), Katsina (155), Benue (101), and so on. The carnage cuts across regions, tribes, and religions—no one is safe.
A deeper look shows that:
892 civilians were killed,
462 so-called bandits eliminated,
234 Boko Haram members,
and 119 vigilantes, who often fight without pay or recognition, also lost their lives.
These numbers aren’t just data they are broken families, grieving mothers, and orphaned children.
300,000 ‘Repentant’ Terrorists: A National Time Bomb
While soldiers like Captain Kamal die fighting, the government has welcomed over 300,000 “repentant Boko Haram fighters” in just three years. Governor Babagana Zulum recently confirmed the shocking figure, stating that “not all of them are fighters… some are farmers.”
But Nigerians are asking hard questions:
Where are these “repentant” fighters being kept?
What guarantees exist that they won’t return to the forest with insider intel?
Why is more attention given to rehabilitating killers than to equipping protectors?
‘Technically Defeated’? A Dangerous Delusion
Since 2009, Boko Haram has waged a war of horror bombings, abductions, massacres, and raids. Despite repeated claims by previous governments that the group had been “technically defeated,” the insurgents remain a terrifying force of chaos, mutating into deadly splinters like ISWAP and Ansaru.
Entire towns have vanished. Farmlands are deserted. Millions are trapped in overcrowded IDP camps, hungry and hopeless. And still, the federal government plays blind, spinning PR narratives while the country bleeds.
A Nation on the Brink
Despite regional and international support including the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) the reality is grim: Nigeria is at war with itself. Corruption at the top is feeding bloodshed at the bottom. Defense budgets vanish. Soldiers complain of unpaid allowances. And the dead are buried with no national honor.
Captain Kamal’s death should spark a national outrage. But in a country where tragedy is daily news, the pain is numbing.
He was brave. He was loyal. But in the end, he was failed by a nation that asks for sacrifice but gives no protection.
Until Nigeria decides that the lives of its soldiers matter more than the politics of its leaders, Captain Kamal will not be the last.
Reference
EXCLUSIVE: How Boko Haram Slaughtered Nigerian Army Captain Kamal While the Nation Slept