As Nigeria prepares is caught up in election fever with campaigns officially kicked-off, the nation has been given a stark reminder of the precarious level of insecurity in the country as Boko haram fighters attacked three Nigerian Military bases in the North-east of the country over the weekend.
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The attacks have come just three months to the presidential polls in the country with the incumbent, President Buhari claiming to have achieved a level of security in the country as he seeks a second term in office.
On Sunday, fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction of Boko haram attacked a base in Metele, a remote village in northeast Borno State, near the country’s border with Niger Republic.
AFP quoted an anonymous military source as saying Nigerian Troops had been initially dislodged from the base by the Boko haram fighters who were in turn dislodged by Nigerian soldiers with support from the Air Force.
The source could however not confirm the extent of casualties on either side
While the battle at Metele raged, another batch of insurgent fighters attacked another military base in Gajiram, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri.
A local source identified as Kulo Gana, living about 60km away from monguno said further that; “Soldiers fought off the insurgents after hours of fighting which lasted up to 5:30 am.”
It was also learnt that Boko haram fighters had attacked another base at Mainok on Saturday, with a soldier reportedly killed while the insurgents seized a gun truck from the civilian JTF fighting on behalf of government troops.
On Saturday, ISWAP fighters attacked a base in the town of Mainok, killing a soldier and seizing a truck from civilian militia fighting the jihadists.
A member of the civilian militia reported that the insurgents faced stiff resistance from Nigerian Troops for about an hour before retreating.