At least four police officers and a local hunter have been killed following coordinated attacks by suspected terrorists on two communities in Borno State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the assailants, believed to be members of Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), launched the first attack at about 1am on Saturday, targeting the divisional police headquarters in Nganzai.
Nahum Daso, spokesperson of the Borno police command, said officers, including operatives of the police mobile force and crack squad, engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle as they attempted to overrun the station.
During the assault, the insurgents reportedly used rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weapons, damaging parts of the police facility and burning an unserviceable armoured personnel carrier.
The police confirmed that four officers were killed in the attack. The deceased were identified as Samuel Ezekiel, Sanusi Mohammed, Bitrus Luka, and Shaibu Bukar.
In a related incident about an hour later, the attackers struck another location in Damasak, targeting a joint security post at the Mallam Fatori internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp. The post was manned by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and local hunters.
A local hunter was killed during the second attack, bringing the total fatalities from the coordinated assaults to five.
Security agencies have since intensified operations in the affected areas, as authorities continue efforts to repel insurgent activities and restore normalcy in the region.
The incident underscores ongoing security challenges in northeastern Nigeria, where terrorist groups continue to carry out deadly raids on communities and security formations.
