MAIDUGURI — In a night of calculated carnage that has left Nigeria’s security architecture looking like a hollow shell, ISWAP terrorists launched simultaneous, coordinated strikes across Borno State between Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday, April 9, 2026.
The double-pronged assault on Pulka and Benesheikh has not only claimed the life of a high-ranking Brigadier General but has also exposed a military crippled by what insiders describe as a scandalous lack of ammunition and equipment.
The Fall of Benesheikh: A General Lost
At approximately 1:00 AM on Thursday, the town of Benesheikh became a slaughterhouse. Terrorists ambushed the Maiduguri-Damaturu-Kano road, targeting motorists and passengers who had parked for the night due to the mandatory evening road closure.
In the ensuing chaos, the Commanding Officer of the military base at Benesheikh—a Brigadier General—was killed. This marks the highest-ranking military casualty since the late 2025 ambush that claimed Brigadier General Uba. Trucks and commercial vehicles were torched, and an unconfirmed number of civilians were executed in cold blood.
Pulka Under Siege: Outgunned and Outrun
The horror began earlier in Pulka, Gwoza LGA, at 10:25 PM on Wednesday. Fighters stormed the military operations base, engaging troops in a lopsided battle. Reports indicate that Nigerian soldiers were forced to retreat after literally running out of ammunition—a devastating indictment of the military’s current supply chain.
After overrunning the base, the terrorists turned their rage on the community. They destroyed heavy machinery belonging to Decency Road Construction Firm and set civilian homes on fire, forcing thousands of residents—many already survivors of the March 3 Ngoshe massacre—to flee into the surrounding mountains. One member of the Civilian JTF was confirmed killed, though military casualties remain suppressed by official sources.
“Restored Hope” Doesn’t Stop Bullets
The political fallout has been immediate and venomous. Senator Ali Ndume confirmed both incidents today, admitting that while troops are “doing their best,” they simply do not have the equipment to confront the sophisticated weaponry of ISWAP.
Public anger has boiled over on social media, with many pointing out the bitter irony of the administration’s spending. Critics are questioning how the government can justify N300 million wristwatches and “Renewed Hope” propaganda buses while soldiers on the front lines are running out of bullets in the heat of battle.
Complicit or Incompetent?
As of Thursday evening, the Presidency has not issued a statement on the coordination of these attacks. The sentiment on the ground in Borno is one of total abandonment. “The government is complicit,” one survivor from Pulka stated. “They send us bags of rice and fancy speeches while the terrorists send us to our graves.”
With a Brigadier General dead and a major community in ashes, the question remains: if the Nigerian Air Force can fly across borders to save a neighboring president, why can’t it fly 75 kilometers from Maiduguri to save its own General?
