In what has been described as one of the most embarrassing security lapses in recent years, nine Nigerian Army personnel detained for alleged collaboration with Boko Haram terrorists have escaped from custody inside Maimalari Cantonment, the headquarters of the Nigerian Army’s 7th Division in Maiduguri, Borno State.
According to top military sources, the jailbreak occurred in the early hours of Monday, around 2:15 a.m., when the soldiers broke free from a military guardroom under mysterious circumstances.
“There was a jailbreak on Monday around 0215 hours at the military Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State. Nine personnel detained mostly for dealing in arms running with terrorists escaped,” one senior military source told SaharaReporters.
The source confirmed that one of the escapees was later recaptured in a nearby bush, while eight others remain on the run.
“It’s a very major security breach. Imagine something like this happening inside a military barracks—it’s shameful and disturbing,” another officer lamented.
Inside the Allegations
Military investigators had reportedly detained the soldiers for allegedly supplying weapons and intelligence to Boko Haram and ISWAP cells operating in the North-East. Sources say the suspects had been under interrogation for several weeks before the shocking escape.
The incident has sparked outrage within military circles, with questions now being raised about internal complicity and growing infiltration of the Nigerian armed forces by terrorist elements.
A Pattern of Betrayal
This is not the first time Nigerian soldiers have been implicated in aiding insurgents. Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (retd.), had previously warned commanders about the alarming rise in such cases.
In a confidential memo sent to field officers during his tenure, Irabor urged commanders to tighten supervision and educate troops on the grave consequences of “aiding the enemy.”
“Recent happenings in various theatres of operations reveal an increase in cases of aiding and abetting by personnel,” the letter, signed by then Defence Headquarters official CE Oji, read.
“These arrests are indicative of insider actions that continue to aid the adversary, with immediate and potentially devastating impacts on operations.”
The memo cited the arrest of a soldier in Bama Local Government Area for allegedly collaborating with a known terrorist informant, Babagana Kura, as an example of how deep the rot has become.
A Grim Reminder
In 2022, a soldier identified as Lance Corporal Abdullahi Jibrin, serving in Geidam, Yobe State, reportedly took his own life after being caught aiding Boko Haram fighters. He was said to have been sighted among insurgents who attacked Geidam town before army intelligence tracked him down.
Military Under Scrutiny
Security experts have described the Maimalari escape as “a national disgrace”, warning that it underscores the worsening infiltration of the military by terror sympathizers.
The Nigerian Army has not yet issued an official statement on the incident, but sources say an emergency investigation panel has been set up to determine how the jailbreak occurred within one of the most fortified military installations in the country.
As efforts intensify to recapture the remaining fugitives, questions continue to mount about the loyalty of some security personnel in the frontlines of Nigeria’s war against terror — a war now clearly being undermined from within.
