Boko Haram Militants Kill Atleast 20 Cameroonian Troops in Deadly Raid on Wulgo

Boko Haram fighters disguised as herders and traders launched a surprise attack on military positions in the Nigerian border town of Wulgo, killing at least 20 Cameroonian troops in a brutal overnight raid. Local security sources and residents confirmed the assault, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning, 25 March, 2025.

According to intelligence sources assisting the fight against the insurgents, the militants had blended in with herders at the weekly market in Gamboru, a commercial hub 15 kilometers (nine miles) from Wulgo, before infiltrating the town under the cover of night.

“The insurgents attacked the bases around 1:00 am and fighting continued for two hours before they subdued the troops and burnt the bases, after taking away heavy weapons,” one of the intelligence sources told MMI on condition of anonymity.

Cameroonian troops are often stationed across the border in Nigeria as part of ongoing anti-jihadist operations around Wulgo, which lies near the volatile Lake Chad region—an area home to both Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants.

Military Bases Raided and Weapons Seized

Eyewitness accounts from local residents and security personnel paint a grim picture of the attack. A second intelligence source confirmed the death toll and reported that militants seized a cache of arms, including Soviet-made Shilka guns—radar-guided anti-aircraft weapons.

Gunfire and explosions erupted from Gamboru, where residents held vigil for Ramadan. “I saw three Cameroonian military trucks conveying 13 bodies across the border into Cameroon this morning,” said Muhammad Sani Umar, a Gamboru resident who visited Wulgo after the attack. “The attacked military bases were a mess, with the buildings torched and vehicles burnt.”

The assault is the latest in a series of escalating attacks in the Lake Chad region, where Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to destabilize communities and security forces. Since 2009, jihadist violence in northeast Nigeria has claimed 40,000 lives and displaced 2.3 million people, with the conflict spilling over into neighboring countries.

A Region in Crisis

The Lake Chad Basin—spanning Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon—has become a stronghold for jihadist groups, disrupting fishing, farming, and herding activities that sustain nearly 40 million people.

Tensions within the multinational coalition fighting insurgents in the region have compounded security challenges. Relations between Nigeria and Niger, for example, have deteriorated since a 2023 coup in Niamey, further hampering coordinated military efforts.

Boko Haram, which lost its Sambisa Forest stronghold in Nigeria to ISWAP in 2021, has since entrenched itself in areas around Lake Chad, including Wulgo, Waza, Gwoza, Pulka, and the Mandara Mountains along the Cameroon border.

Both Wulgo and Waza have been repeatedly targeted by the group, which has carried out kidnappings and executions of loggers, herders, and scrap metal scavengers suspected of collaborating with security forces.

Escalating Jihadist Violence

The Wulgo attack follows a string of deadly incidents in the region. Earlier this year, Boko Haram militants clashed with Nigerian soldiers near Baga, resulting in nine military deaths. Days later, ISWAP fighters massacred between 40 and 100 farmers in Tumbun Kanta and Kwatar Yobe.

Wulgo itself has been the site of previous violence. In March 2021, two Cameroonian soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram ambush, with three others and a Nigerian soldier wounded.

As Boko Haram and ISWAP continue to wage their insurgency, the latest assault in Wulgo underscores the persistent threat to security forces and civilians in the Lake Chad region, where peace remains elusive.

Neither the Nigerian military nor Cameroonian authorities have responded to MMI’s request for comment.

Evelyne Ndi contributed to this report.

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