An al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group operating in the Sahel, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has claimed responsibility for its first-ever attack in Nigeria, marking a worrisome expansion of militant activity into West Africa’s most populous nation.

In a video posted on its Telegram channel late Thursday, JNIM said its fighters ambushed a Nigerian military patrol in Kwara State early Wednesday, killing one soldier and seizing ammunition and cash.

A senior military source confirmed the attack to Reuters, noting that a soldier was indeed killed in the ambush. The Nigerian Army has not yet released an official statement.

Formed in 2017, JNIM is an al-Qaeda affiliate active across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. It seeks to expel Western-backed governments and establish an Islamic caliphate in the Sahel.

In recent years, the group has expanded its operations into Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Togo — and now, reportedly, Nigeria.

Earlier this year, JNIM enforced a blockade on fuel imports into Mali, paralysing transport and forcing schools to close.

In May, its fighters massacred about 200 soldiers in the Burkinabe town of Djibo, following similar bloodshed in Barsalogho last year.

A New Layer of Insecurity

The reported JNIM incursion adds to Nigeria’s already complex security challenges. The country is still battling Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), whose insurgencies have killed tens of thousands and displaced over two million people across the northeast.

President Bola Tinubu, who recently overhauled the military hierarchy, has vowed a more aggressive response to emerging threats.

“We must not allow these new threats to fester. Let us smash the new snakes right at the head,” Tinubu warned during a national security briefing.

On Wednesday, the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Waidi Shaibu, pledged to confront a splinter militant group known as Lakurawa, which has terrorised northern communities.

“We defeated Boko Haram insurgents in 2015, and many terrorists surrendered under my command,” Shaibu told senators during his confirmation hearing. “We will adopt a more strategic and people-centered approach to internal security.”

Analysts say JNIM’s arrival in Nigeria could signify a shift in West Africa’s struggles with extremism — from isolated insurgencies to a connected web of regional jihadist networks.