ISWAP Kills Nigerian Army University Professor Abducted on Maiduguri-Damboa Highway

By Tgnews Reporter

In a brazen display of precision terrorism, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have killed Professor Abubakar Mohammed el-Jumma, a respected academic at the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB), following his abduction in a meticulously planned operation along the volatile Maiduguri-Damboa highway.

The incident occurred on March 25, 2025, according to security sources cited by counter-insurgency platform Zagazola Makama. The attackers described as light-skinned foreigners singled out Professor el-Jumma in what appears to have been a deliberate, intelligence-driven strike.

Reports indicate the perpetrators possessed a photograph of the professor prior to the attack, underscoring the premeditated nature of the operation and highlighting possible involvement of local spies or sympathizers providing critical reconnaissance.

Professor el-Jumma, a faculty member at NAUB, was abducted during the assault. Despite efforts by authorities and family members to negotiate his release, no ransom demands were ever issued a departure from typical kidnap-for-ransom tactics employed by insurgent groups in the region.

ISWAP later contacted the grieving family to inform them of his execution and confirmed that his body had been buried within their controlled enclave.

The killing has sent shockwaves through academic and security circles in Nigeria’s North East, where persistent insurgency continues to threaten civilians, educators, and governance structures.

The professor’s death comes amid ongoing security challenges along key highways in Borno, including the Maiduguri-Damboa and Damaturu-Biu corridors, which have seen repeated ambushes, kidnappings, and clashes between troops and jihadist factions.

As of now, the Nigerian Army University Biu has not released an official statement on the tragedy. Colleagues and students remember Professor el-Jumma as a dedicated scholar whose work contributed significantly to higher education in a conflict-affected region.

This latest atrocity underscores the enduring threat posed by ISWAP in the Lake Chad basin and raises urgent questions about intelligence failures, highway security, and the protection of vulnerable professionals operating in Nigeria’s insurgency-plagued North East.

Security forces continue operations to degrade the group’s capabilities, but incidents like this reveal the persistent risks to civilians and the challenges in restoring normalcy.