Boko Haram insurgents have reared their heads once more, this time in Borno state where the combined efforts of men of the Nigerian Army and Police repelled an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Jakana town in Kaga Local Government about 40km from Maiduguri, the Borno capital.
The attack took place on Thursday as dozens of Boko-Haram insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons, attempted to invade the town at about 5.30 pm. Brig-Gen Bulama Biu, GOC 7 Div, Maiduguri who confirmed the incident said the attack was promptly repelled.
“Yes, there was an attack and we are on top of the situational; I will get back to you for details,” He said during a phone interview.
A police source who wished to remain anonymous also confirmed the attack saying that Nigerian Army troops fought gallantly to repel the insurgent attack.
An eyewitness who is also resident in the town and fled when the Boko Haram fighters stormed town, said the insurgents came with sophisticated weapons mounted on more than 15 vehicles.
Kemdi said he was suspecting the insurgents stormed the town in search of food items, as Thursday is the market day in Jakana.
The terrorist had however targeted a military base as well as the police station in the town before being repelled by Nigerian Army Troops. This is the normal modus operandi of Boko Haram whenever they invade a town. The first port of call is usually the army base and the police station before they take over the rest of town.
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The attack and the subsequent gun battle lasted for about least two hours before the insurgents were chased out of the village by federal forces as villagers scampered into the bushes for safety while the battle raged.
This attack comes about two weeks after an earlier attack in which Nigerian soldiers were ambushed and killed while on an assault mission against the Boko Haram insurgents.
Independent news sources have suggested that Boko Haram has regrouped along the lake Chad region with about 3500 foot soldiers.