Fear grips Kwara as JNIM claims first attack 4 months after unveiling Nigerian brigade

The Al-Qaeda–affiliated militant group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for an attack in Kwara State, its first known operation in Nigeria, just four months after announcing the formation of a new brigade in the country.

Counter-insurgency expert Zagozola Makama, citing intelligence sources, reported that the assault took place in northern Kwara, near the border corridor linking Niger and Kogi States.

JNIM, which is mainly active across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, declared in June that it had created a Nigerian brigade, sparking fears of an expanding jihadist footprint into West Africa’s southern belt.

According to Makama, the group’s latest claim is consistent with earlier intelligence assessments warning of militant infiltration through smuggling routes from the Benin Republic and Niger.

“JNIM’s latest statement describes the attack as the debut operation of its Nigerian brigade. If verified, this would indicate a dangerous evolution of the regional threat landscape,” the source said.

He added that “security operatives in Kwara, Niger, and Kogi States should intensify patrols and surveillance in response to the development, with reinforcements deployed to border communities.

“Military and intelligence agencies should work to identify possible linkages between JNIM operatives and local extremist networks,” Zagozola said.

The incident has triggered panic among residents of the affected areas, coming at a time of growing insecurity and fragmentation among terror groups operating across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin.