A deadly clash between Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters has left scores of terrorists dead in what security analysts describe as one of the most intense inter-factional battles in recent times.
According to counter-insurgency expert and security analyst, Zagazola Makama, the violent confrontation occurred between November 5 and 8, 2025, across several riverine settlements in Abadam and Kukawa Local Government Areas of Borno State.
Makama, who shared video footage of the fighting on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, said Boko Haram appears to have gained the upper hand, overrun multiple ISWAP camps and forcing survivors to flee into the mainland.
So far, casualties are more than 100. Boko Haram is defeating ISWAP and sweeping all their camps, Makama wrote.
Sources revealed that JAS (Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad), the faction led by Boko Haram, launched a massive, coordinated offensive using several motorised watercrafts.
The insurgents reportedly carried out multi-axis attacks that overwhelmed ISWAP positions, driving them from their strongholds around Ali Jillimari, Metele, Kangarwa, and Gudumbali.
The clashes were said to have taken place across strategic locations, including Sahel 1, Dogon Chuku, Mangari, and the riverine basins of Tumbun Gini, Tumbun Dalo, Tumbun Shanu, Mangari, and Dumba.
Boko Haram commanders Hassan Buduma and Mohammed Hassan were said to have led the operation, described by observers as an amphibious attack executed in insurgent style.
A viral video shared online shows armed fighters chanting “Allahu Akbar” while speeding across the waterways in boats and firing shots.
The recent confrontation underscores the deepening rivalry between the two jihadist groups, which have been battling for dominance since the death of Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, in 2021.
ISWAP had controlled most of the islands since then, but receding water levels this season have reopened old land routes, sparking renewed hostilities.
Security experts say the infighting could temporarily weaken both factions but warned that civilians in the region remain at high risk as the groups continue to vie for territory.
