By Obinna Uballa
A major security breach has rocked the Nigerian Army following the reported escape of nine detained soldiers from the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Monday.
The soldiers, who were allegedly being held over alleged links with Boko Haram terrorists and involvement in arms trafficking, reportedly broke out of the military guardroom around 2:15 a.m.
Maimalari Cantonment serves as the headquarters of the Nigerian Army’s 7 Division and one of the most fortified military installations in the North-East.
Sources within the military told SaharaReporters that one of the escapees had been rearrested while efforts were ongoing to locate the remaining eight.
“There was a jailbreak on Monday around 0215 hours at Maimalari Cantonment. Nine personnel detained mostly for dealing in arms running with terrorists escaped,” one source said.
Another officer described the incident as “a very major security breach,” lamenting that such an escape could happen inside a high-security military facility.
The development comes amid growing concerns over cases of soldiers aiding insurgents in the North-East. Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd.), had previously warned of rising incidents of personnel collaborating with terrorists.
In a letter issued to field commanders during his tenure, Irabor directed that troops be sensitised on the grave implications of fraternising with the enemy.
The memo, signed on his behalf by Brigadier General C.E. Oji, cited several arrests of soldiers caught aiding Boko Haram, including a soldier apprehended in Bama, Borno State, for working with a known terrorist informant, Babagana Kura.
In a related incident in 2022, Lance Corporal Abdullahi Jibrin, an army instructor in Geidam, Yobe State, took his own life after being arrested for allegedly collaborating with Boko Haram insurgents who attacked several Yobe communities.
Military intelligence later tracked him to Gashua, hundreds of kilometres from his duty post, before his arrest.
Reports say the latest jailbreak has sparked outrage within military circles, raising fears of renewed infiltration by terrorist elements within Nigeria’s armed forces.
