Experts Explain Trending CCTV Footage Showing Terrorists Approaching Borno Military Camp
Soldier Losses First Week of March Denied by Spokesmen
By Luka Binniyat and Mike James Odeh
(Abuja) – A trending video captures the advancement of Boko Haram or Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP) terrorists into a military formation, believed to be Konduga, Konduga Local Government Area (LGA), Borno state, Northeast, Nigeria.
In the black and white video of about 76 seconds, background communication could be heard between the Control Room (CR) and a superior (Charlie) over a walkie-talkie.
Below is a transcript of the communication.
CR: They are plenty. I swear there are plenty, boss
R: I swear they are more than 200.
CR: See! see! see!
CR: Go right! (pans camera towards the right)
Charlie: Confirmed situation!
CR: They are advancing towards . . CR: They are moving towards Lima. . . camp 11.
Charlie . . . Inaudible.
CR: They are still there!
CR: They are moving
CR: They are sharing themselves.
Charlie: Inaudible
CR: They are sharing themselves, sir.
CR: Some are advancing towards Lima; some to us.
CR: They are coming to us.
CR: They are close to us.
The video abruptly ends.
The video which is undated and without coordinates, has been analyzed by two security experts and both agreed that it was captured from one of the bases attacked by Islamist terrorists in Borno State last week between 5th and 6th March, 2026.
On March 5, four coordinated attacks on military bases took place Thursday night through early /Friday, according to Facebook posts.
The bases, according to reports are Konduga, Mainok, Jakana and Marte all in Borno State.
During these attacks, the terrorists fired heavy weapons at the bases.
Some armored vehicles were destroyed, weapons and ammunition were reportedly looted, according to an AP story published March 10. Two officers and “several soldiers” were killed, according to AP , but the death count was already 50 soldiers, reported by TruthNigeria on March 6.
Analysts believe the Nigerian army routinely hides bad news. The week of March 3 to March 10 saw at least 100 Nigerian soldiers killed in action, the worst military setback of 2026 according to the Ujasusi blog.
In the Konduga attack, Lieutenant Colonel S. I. Iliyasu, Commanding Officer, 222 Battalion Konduga and unspecified numbers of soldiers were killed, as reported by Business Day newspaper.
Security Analysts say that the communication in the video may have helped in getting reinforcement from either nearby military formation or from the Air Force.
The Video Led to Reinforcement
“The video appears to be surveillance camera footage, likely captured from a fixed security camera positioned to monitor an open area, compound, or road,” noted Col. Aliyu Danbaba (rtd) of SignWell Security Consult to TruthNigeria from Abuja, Wednesday.
“Armed groups often move with distance between individuals to reduce vulnerability to ambush or explosive, as can be seen in the video,” he said.
“Movement is towards and not away from a target,” he pointed out.
“The communication from the Radio Room Operator and a commander reveals to me that it is likely to be Konduga 222 Battalion Army. I know the place well, having led troops there some years back.”
“Camp 11 is a dedicated defense camp platoon. It shows that the terrorists were advancing in that direction and towards the main base,” he said.
“From my estimation, they were about 200 meters at the closest before the video stopped,” he said.
According to him, exchange of fire must have been ensured.
“Konduga is a very strategic point in the war with Boko Haram. It is about 15 miles South of Maiduguri and a very important corridor to the Republic of Cameroon,” he said
“Once they take over that base, it would be an easy sail for them to attack Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State,” he said.
“I believe that help eventually came to the distressed troops. But it might have taken time, because of the time and distance,” he said.
Why Communication Abruptly Stopped
Speaking to TruthNigeria on the video, Wednesday, March 11,2026, another analyst, Dr. Ibrahim James, a Strategy, Conflict and Peace analyst based in Kaduna, Kaduna state, in northeastern Nigeria, insurgents have occasionally launched large-scale attacks involving 100–300 fighters against isolated bases,” he said.
“That video is real, not AI,” he said.
“I cannot tell you which of the bases was captured because no name was given. But it was at a time when the terrorists were running amok swarming over military bases in Borno State last week,” he said.
“‘I swear there are more than 200’” suggests the observer saw a very large group of fighters moving together.
“In insurgent operations large formations are sometimes used to overrun as a base or in coordinated assaults on military positions,” he said.
“They are sharing themselves.”
“Some are advancing towards Lima; some to us.”
“This indicates the attackers were splitting into groups. This is a common assault tactic used to
attack multiple defensive positions simultaneously, confuse defenders and isolate smaller camps,” he said.
Analyzing the communication in the video further, he said.
“‘They are close to us” could suggest several possibilities:
“It could be that the recording stopped when the attack began.
power or communications were disrupted or that the recording was cut when the operators abandoned the control room and charged out,” he said.
“From the conversation, a superior officer from the other end was already preparing to storm the base with troops for a counter offensive,” he said.
Army Has Retaken All Its Bases
The Nigerian Army Headquarters has stated that the Konduga attack and others have been repelled, but with casualties also on the side of Nigerian troops.
A Statement signed by Lt. Col Sani Uba, Media Information Officer Headquarters Joint Task Force (Northeast), Operation Hadin Kai
on March 27, 2026, rebuked media reports, saying that casualty figures were exaggerated and insisted that no military base had been under terrorists’ occupation.
Luka Binniyat and Mike James Odeh write for ThruthNigeria on politics and conflict from Kaduna.
