Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have attacked a military post in Mairari community, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, with fears that some soldiers were killed during the assault.
The attack reportedly occurred around midnight and lasted for more than two hours, according to residents familiar with the incident.
The Chairman of Guzamala LGA, Umar Sheriff, confirmed the incident in an exclusive interview with PUNCH on Wednesday, saying the attackers targeted the military formation.
Sheriff, however, said he had yet to obtain details of the casualties but confirmed that no civilian was killed in the attack.
“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.
The council chairman described the assault as unusual in its scale, noting that the community had not experienced an attack of such magnitude in recent times. He added that the military repelled the attackers.
“They have never attacked as much as this time, but thank God, the military were able to repel them,” he stated.
Meanwhile, local sources, who requested anonymity, said there were casualties among the soldiers, although reports that seven personnel were killed had yet to be independently verified. Another source said the exchange of gunfire suggested that the insurgents might also have suffered losses.
Sheriff said the situation had returned to normal and planned to visit the community on Thursday to assess the impact of the attack.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, were unsuccessful as of press time.
