Tension In Borno As Boko Haram, Soldiers Exchange Gunfire For Two Hours

Fear gripped Mairari community in Borno State after suspected Boko Haram terrorists launched a midnight attack on a military post, with some soldiers feared killed.

Naija News learnt that the attack took place around 12am on Tuesday in Guzamala Local Government Area of the state and lasted for more than two hours.

Although the number of casualties remains unclear, local sources said both the military and the attackers may have suffered losses during the gun battle.

The Chairman of Guzamala Local Government Area, Umar Sheriff, confirmed the attack to The Punch on Wednesday, saying the terrorists targeted the military post and that no civilian was killed.

Sheriff described the incident as a major attack, adding that the community had not witnessed an assault of such scale in recent times.

“Though I don’t have statistics regarding the casualties yet, because it’s not everything we are told. It’s a security matter. But I know that no civilian was killed,” he said.

He added that the military was able to repel the attackers.

“They have never attacked as much as this time, but thank God, the military were able to repel them,” the council chairman stated.

Sheriff further disclosed that the situation had returned to calm, adding that he planned to visit Mairari on Thursday to assess the damage and get a clearer picture of what happened.

“The situation is calm. I will be there tomorrow morning (Thursday) to evaluate the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, some residents who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that soldiers were among those who suffered casualties during the attack.

One of the sources said there were rumours that seven soldiers had been killed, although the figure had not been independently confirmed as of the time of reporting.

“I know there are military casualties. It was rumoured that seven soldiers were killed, but no one could verify that yet,” the source said.

Another source said the heavy gunfire left residents worried, adding that the military and local security forces fought back against the attackers.

“That attack left the entire town in tension. With the gunfire yesterday, there is no way that the terrorists will not suffer casualties. Both local forces and the military stood their ground,” the source told reporters.

As of the time of filing this report, the military had yet to publicly confirm the number of casualties or issue any official statement regarding the development.