By Louis Achi

At the risk of sounding jaded, intelligence, intel, typically refers to secret, security, or strategic data gathered about an enemy or a situation. It often implies actionable knowledge used for decision-making in security, business, or competitive contexts. This is the focus of this analysis. In the aftermath of the recent attack by terrorists on the Nigerian Army Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh, Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, made a startling but sad revelation that the Nigerian Army received intelligence two days before the attack. According to the governor, the intelligence included movement and routes used by the terrorists, and that the insurgents were headed towards the military barracks. The governor expressed regret that the Army failed to act.

According to the Nigerian Army, soldiers achieved significant operational successes in the recent 24 hours, including stopping terrorist attacks, intercepting suspicious logistics supplies, and rescuing abducted victims in several locations.

In the past seven years, the Nigerian military has been accused of accidentally bombing about 409 unarmed civilians instead of targeting terrorists and bandits in their operations in the northern part of the country. Although the military authority has denied some of the claims, insisting their target was terrorists in the operations, reports indicate that several unsuspecting civilians have lost their lives in accidental airstrikes.

Fresh concerns have emerged suggesting that Nigerian authorities received advance intelligence regarding a potential insurgent movement towards Benisheikh in Borno State, prompting worry about how early warnings are processed and acted upon within the current counter-insurgency framework under Operation Hadin Kai.

 The Defence Headquarters confirmed on Thursday that terrorists and military personnel alike suffered casualties when insurgents launched a coordinated attack on the 29th Task Force Brigade Headquarters in Benisheikh, Borno State. The military, however, did not confirm or debunk reports that the commander of the 29 Brigade, Brig. Gen. Oseni Braimah, was among those killed in the incident alongside his soldiers.

The federal government has slammed claims by some Civil Society organizations, (CSOs) that Nigeria is on the brink of collapse, describing such assertions as exaggerated and misleading. A coalition of CSOs had on Tuesday warned that the country was “on the brink of collapse", citing worsening insecurity, rising poverty, and what it described as a breakdown in governance as culminating indicators.