The Bono State Government has confirmed that Boko Haram militants have attacked a military airbase in the northeast city of Maiduguri, killing several people and destroying military helicopters.
Petrol stations and several houses were also said to be set ablaze by the militants. It is unclear how many people were killed but eyewitnesses said the militants caused a major havoc against the military.
A 24-hour curfew has been imposed in the city after the attack but State government secretary, Baba Ahmed Jidda called for calm, saying only emergency service vehicles were allowed to move during the curfew, which would be lifted as soon as the situation improves.
Boko Haram has previously launched massive and coordinated attacks on the security services in Borno but the reported scale of the latest strike could make it one of the biggest against the military in Maiduguri in many months.
A local government official told reporters that the militants burnt down the barracks as well as some ammunition.
“At the 33 Artillery, the terrorists have destroyed the barracks and took away an armored carrier but left it along the highway.
“We heard women and children in the barracks crying and wailing. At the gate, I saw some vehicles destroyed and the checkpoint there in shreds,” he said.
Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Chris Olukolade confirmed the destroying of the helicopters to reporters in an email.
“Three decommissioned military aircrafts as well as two helicopters were incapacitated in the course of the attack, two Air Force personnel were also wounded while 24 insurgents died during the exchange of fire’’, he said.
Army’s spokesman in Maiduguri, Colonel Muhammed Dole also said Boko Haram militants had been successfully repelled.
Both the UK and US have blacklist Boko Haram as a terrorist organization aimed at enforcing their laws and regulatory agencies to block business and financial transactions with Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in 3 northern states on May 14, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages in the north.
Boko Haram is believed to have carried out a wave of bombings and assassinations since 2009 which have cost an estimate number of over 4,000 lives, and saying it wants to establish an Islamic state across Nigeria.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
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