Insurgents Hit Borno Checkpoint, Killing Immigration Officer and Injuring Soldiers

Boko Haram fighters launched a deadly pre-dawn assault on a joint security point near Muna in Borno State on November 30, killing a Nigeria Immigration Service officer and leaving several soldiers wounded. According to multiple immigration sources, the insurgents struck around 2:00 a.m., attacking the “Charly Company” location and opening fire on personnel on duty. A reinforcement team arrived shortly after, forcing the gunmen to withdraw into the surrounding bush.

Colleagues identified the fallen officer as Assistant Immigration Officer IA II Lucky of NIS Batch 13, deployed under Operation Hadin Kai. Officers who spoke privately described mounting frustration over what they see as perilous deployments that place immigration personnel in direct combat despite limited training and equipment.

One officer noted that immigration staff were issued only two magazines while positioned against heavily armed militants, questioning how they were expected to survive repeated attacks. Another said the latest incident adds to a growing toll within their contingent, claiming that nearly four officers have been lost since their deployment began.

Several sources appealed to the Comptroller General of Immigration to intervene urgently, insisting that immigration personnel should support operations, not serve as frontline combatants. Some also alleged unfairness in duty roster rotations, accusing senior officials of shielding certain staff from high-risk assignments.

The Nigerian Army has not yet released an official statement. Efforts to reach the NIS spokesperson, Akinsola Akinlabi, were unsuccessful. Security operations remain active around the Muna axis, a long-standing hotspot for insurgent attacks on the outskirts of Maiduguri.