Stray bullets k!ll newlywed woman and two other residents as troops foil multiple terrorist infiltration attempts in Borno

Stray bullets have k!lled a bride and two others during a gun battle between soldiers and Boko Haram insurgents in Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to Daily Trust, the terrorists had attempted to attack two military locations in Maiduguri in the early hours of Friday, July 10, 2026. 

According to witnesses, the insurgents stormed a military base at Kofa around 2:14am, and hit another one at Muna around 2:30am.

Sources from both locations told the publication that the attackers drove to the area on motorcycles shooting sporadically. 

They also revealed that all the attacks were successfully repelled by the military but three residents were k!lled by stray bullets during the crossfire.

Deborah Usman, a resident of Kofa, said, as the insurgents engaged troops at the military post, many residents fled the area for safety.

“It’s at that time that our neighbor, a three-week-old bride, was hit by a stray bullet on the head and she d!ed instantly.

Sources from the Muna area said the attackers engaged the troops that were stationed at the Customs office, trying to infiltrate the capital city.

A resident of Muna, Mannanaye Muhammad, said two people were k!lled during the attack.

“They were trying to escape the area when the insurgent shot sporadically at their location. Most of us that decided to stay indoors were not affected, but a woman was also injured by a flying bullet in her residence,” he said

He said that funeral prayer was observed and bodies of the deceased are billed for burial by 12 noon.

The attack comes barely 24 hours after the insurgents attacked a military location in Logomani community in Ngala local government area of the state, where a soldier was killed.

Confirming the attack, the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said multiple terrorist infiltration attempts have been repelled by the troops.

“Troops of the Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have successfully thwarted multiple coordinated infiltration attempts by ISWAP terrorists across Borno State in the early hours of 10 July 2026,” the statement read.

“Between 0020 hours (12:20 a.m.) and 0230 hours (2:30 a.m.), the terrorists attempted to infiltrate into Muna Garage, Shuwari Village, and the Ajilari Cross axis to gain access into the Metropolis. With early warning mechanisms emplaced, troops swiftly detected the advancing terrorists and engaged them from multiple axes with accurate firepower, decisively frustrating all attempts to infiltrate.

“In separate incidents, troops also successfully thwarted additional infiltration attempts by the terrorists at Miringa and Dutsen Kura in Buratai. During the pursuit of the fleeing terrorists at Miringa, a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) with no casualties recorded on troops. The situation remains stable.

“Overwhelmed by the troops’ speedy tactical manoeuvre, the terrorists were forced to abandon their mission and retreat in confusion across all axes. 

“Troops are currently conducting clearance and exploitation operations to pursue the fleeing terrorists, consolidate operational gains, dominate the area, and prevent any further threat to nearby communities.”