Seventeen soldiers have been confirmed dead and at least ten others injured following coordinated attacks by armed terrorists on multiple military bases in northern Nigeria, marking one of the deadliest assaults on the country’s armed forces in recent times.

The attacks occurred on Tuesday in Niger and Kaduna States, targeting forward operating bases in Kwanar Dutse Mariga and Boka areas of Niger State, and another base in neighbouring Kaduna. Security sources described the assault as an ambush carried out with heavy ammunition by hundreds of armed fighters.

According to military and local sources, the fiercest attack took place at the Kwanar Dutse Mariga base, where all 17 fatalities were recorded. A local official, Abbas Kasuwar Garba, who chairs the Mariga district, confirmed that the soldiers were caught off-guard. “They came from nowhere and used heavy weapons to launch the attack,” said a Niger-based army officer.

The Nigerian Army has since broken its silence on the incident, offering more detail about the scale and nature of the assault. Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anele, the Army spokesperson, confirmed that over 300 terrorists attempted to infiltrate Bangi community in Mariga Local Government Area before being engaged in a joint ground and air operation by the Nigerian Army and Air Force.

“The operation, which was based on credible intelligence, led to troops engaging about 300 armed bandits in Kwanar Dutse Forest,” said Anele. “The firefight lasted over three hours, after which the Nigerian Air Force conducted precision airstrikes on their withdrawal routes, delivering accurate bombardments on identified terrorist positions.”

Though the exact number of terrorist casualties remains unconfirmed, the military reported multiple blood trails along the escape paths, suggesting substantial losses among the attackers.

Anele also confirmed that ten soldiers were injured and are currently receiving treatment at a military medical facility. “They are in stable condition,” she said.

Northern Nigeria, particularly Niger State, has become a hotspot of overlapping security crises, with both bandit groups and Islamist militants such as Boko Haram and Islamic State affiliates operating in the region. The attackers in this latest incident were reportedly fleeing intensified military bombardment in Zamfara State and seeking new safe havens when they clashed with the troops.

The Army has called on the public to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations by providing timely and actionable information.