Birnin Gwari military base attack
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- 17 Nigerian soldiers killed
- 3 civilian vigilantes killed[1]
| Birnin Gwari military base attack | |
|---|---|
| Part of Nigerian bandit conflict and Islamist insurgency in the Sahel | |
| Location | Polwire, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Date | April 5, 2022 |
| Deaths | 20 killed
|
| Injured | 23 injured |
| Perpetrator |  Ansaru |
On April 5, 2022, militants from Ansaru attacked a Nigerian military base in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The attack killed seventeen soldiers and injured twenty-three others.
The jihadist group Ansaru split off from Boko Haram in 2012, and carried out attacks throughout most of 2013 and 2014. After 2014, the group faced a decline, with many commanders defecting back to Boko Haram or other jihadist groups. Ansaru laid dormant until 2020, emerging again as an ally to bandits in northwestern and central Nigeria, enveloping Kaduna State.[2] In 2022, the group plead allegiance to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and increased its presence in Kaduna State, where some locals called the group peaceful and generous, defending against bandit groups and handing food to Muslims.[2] On April 1, 2022, the Nigerian army killed eleven bandits in Birnin Gwari.[3] Just a day before the attack, Nigerian officials stated plans to bolster security along the Abuja-Kaduna highway.[4]