ISWAP Overruns JAS Camp in Borno After Dispute Over ₦40m Cash Theft
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has reportedly overrun a major stronghold of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) at Gazwa in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State following a fierce clash between the two rival terrorist factions.
The confrontation was reportedly triggered by the theft of about ₦40 million belonging to ISWAP logisticians, according to intelligence obtained from recently surrendered JAS members.
Sources said the dispute began when a JAS commander identified as Munzir allegedly ambushed ISWAP logisticians transporting cash and supplies along the Gazwa-Kwaltafarji axis.
One ISWAP logistic operative was reportedly killed during the attack, while the JAS fighters allegedly seized an AK-pattern rifle and escaped with approximately ₦40 million.
The surviving ISWAP members subsequently fled the area and reported the incident to their commanders.
According to the sources, the stolen money was handed over to a senior JAS commander in Gazwa, identified as Baafu, who reportedly transferred it to another senior insurgent leader, Ali Ngulde, believed to be operating from the Mandara Mountains.
The funds were subsequently distributed among JAS commanders and fighters in accordance with the faction’s established revenue-sharing arrangement, the sources said.
Military intelligence reportedly assessed the incident as more than a financial dispute, viewing the attack as a direct challenge to ISWAP’s authority and logistical network.
About 10 days after the ambush, ISWAP reportedly mobilised fighters from Yuwe, Sambisa Forest and Zangeri for a coordinated dawn assault on JAS positions within the Gazwa enclave.
Read Also:
The ensuing battle lasted several hours, with JAS fighters initially putting up resistance. However, the arrival of additional ISWAP reinforcements from Sambisa Forest reportedly tipped the balance in favour of ISWAP, forcing the JAS fighters to abandon the enclave.
Sources said ISWAP has since established control over the Gazwa camp, although intelligence indicates that the group could withdraw if confronted with a major retaliatory offensive by the displaced JAS faction.
Military sources said commanders had been advised to sustain offensive pressure around the Gazwa-Kwaltafarji corridor and adjoining areas while exploiting the rivalry between the two factions.
They added that intelligence-gathering efforts were ongoing to monitor the movements of both groups and prevent them from regrouping or establishing new operational bases.
The latest confrontation is part of a broader pattern of violent clashes between ISWAP and JAS as the rival factions compete for territory, resources and influence across the North-East.
Earlier, intelligence monitored by Zagazola Makama indicated that ISWAP fighters had ambushed a JAS faction around Bula Murge in the Gargash area of Bama Local Government Area, reportedly killing several senior JAS commanders, including Abu Ubaida, Modu Kori, Alhaji Modu, Mure, Zarkawi, Sheriff and Modu Maye.
The attack also reportedly resulted in the destruction of JAS camps at Bula Murge and Nguro Bafuye, forcing surviving members to relocate their families towards Bula Daloye.
The renewed infighting comes amid sustained military operations and airstrikes targeting terrorist networks in the North-East, which have continued to place pressure on the groups’ operational capabilities, logistics and freedom of movement.
Security analysts and military authorities could view the rivalry as an opportunity to intensify coordinated ground and air operations against both factions, with the objective of further degrading their capabilities and preventing them from consolidating new positions in the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountains corridors.
