ISWAP Seizes Key JAS Enclave After Bloody Battle Sparked by ₦40 Million Cash Raid in Borno
By Zagazola Makama
Fresh reports has revealed that the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has overrun a major Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) stronghold at Gazwa in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, following a fierce battle triggered by the theft of about ₦40 million from ISWAP logisticians.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the development emerged during the debriefing of recently surrendered JAS members, who provided details of the internal conflict between the two rival terrorist factions.
According to the sources, the dispute began when a JAS commander (Munzir) ambushed a group of ISWAP logisticians transporting cash and supplies in the Gazwa–Kwaltafarji axis.
During the ambush, one ISWAP logistic operative was reportedly killed, while the JAS fighters seized an AK-pattern rifle and made away with approximately ₦40 million. The surviving ISWAP members escaped and later reported the incident to their commanders.
The sources said the stolen money was subsequently handed over to a senior JAS commander in Gazwa identified as Baafu, who reportedly delivered the funds to another senior insurgent leader, Ali Ngulde, believed to be operating from the Mandara Mountains.
According to intelligence gathered from the defectors, the money was later distributed among JAS commanders and fighters in line with the group’s established revenue-sharing formula.
Military intelligence indicated that ISWAP viewed the attack not merely as theft but as a direct challenge to its authority and logistical network.
About 10 days after the ambush, ISWAP reportedly mobilised a large fighting force from Yuwe, Sambisa Forest and Zangeri, launching a coordinated dawn assault on JAS positions inside the Gazwa enclave.
The battle, which lasted several hours, was initially resisted by JAS fighters. However, additional ISWAP reinforcements arriving from Sambisa Forest eventually overwhelmed the defenders, forcing JAS fighters to abandon what had long served as one of their principal enclaves in the Bama axis.
Sources said ISWAP has since established control over the Gazwa camp, although intelligence suggests the group remains cautious and could withdraw if faced with a large-scale retaliatory offensive from the displaced JAS faction.
Military sources told Zagazola Makama that commanders have been advised to exploit the ongoing rivalry through sustained offensive operations, particularly around the Gazwa–Kwaltafarji corridor and adjoining areas.
The sources noted that additional intelligence collection is ongoing to monitor the movements of both factions and prevent either group from regrouping or re-establishing operational bases.
The latest clash adds to a growing series of violent confrontations between ISWAP and JAS as both factions continue to compete for territory, resources and influence across the North-East.
Only days earlier, intelligence monitored by Zagazola Makama revealed that ISWAP fighters ambushed another JAS faction around Bula Murge in the Gargash area of Bama Local Government Area, killing several senior JAS commanders, including Abu Ubaida, Modu Kori, Alhaji Modu, Mure, Zarkawi, Sheriff and Modu Maye.
The attack also resulted in the burning of JAS camps at Bula Murge and Nguro Bafuye, forcing surviving fighters to begin relocating their families toward Bula Daloye.
It was believed that the renewed internal conflict reflects mounting pressure on both terrorist organisations as sustained military offensives and precision airstrikes continue to degrade their operational capabilities, logistics and freedom of movement.
The infighting also presents a strategic opportunity for the military to intensify coordinated land and air operations, with the aim of further weakening both factions before either can recover or consolidate new positions in the Sambisa Forest and Mandara Mountain.
