B/Haram kills many in Borno town

Many persons were reportedly killed just as hundreds of residents fled their homes following a fierce battle between Nigerian troops and Boko Haram insurgents in Gubio town, military and local sources said.

The insurgents arrived Gubio town, headquarters of Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State at exactly 1640hrs in a large convoy and started shooting sporadically, Daily Trust gathered.

According to the vigilante source, the gun fight lasted for about three hours. It was alleged that reinforcement troops were equally ambushed by the insurgents.

“Many people were killed on both sides because it was a massive attack. They came in large numbers; the troops and about 400 local hunters on ground were overwhelmed and outnumbered by the insurgents.

“Fighter jets of the air component of Operation Lafiya Dole went there about three times, but not much could be achieved due to the fact that civilians were all over the place, scampering for safety’’, the source said.

But a senior military source said troops successfully repelled the attack.

“Many Boko Haram fighters were wounded. They fled due to the military’s strong firepower and reinforcement from super camps.

“Many gun trucks belonging to the Boko Haram group were destroyed by troops after they successfully thwarted the attack,” he said.

Meanwhile, the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole in conjunction with the Nigeria Customs Service apprehended a man suspected to be a Boko Haram logistics supplier with hundreds of used motorcycle tires and tubes along the Monguno highway.