The Nigerian military says it has killed 20 militants from terrorist group Boko Haram in the north-eastern State of Borno.

The army spokesman disclosed that the militants were killed as they tried to seize military barracks in the village of Monguno in which the army repelled resulting in these heavy casualties on the militants.

“Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack a military barracks in Borno at about 5:00 am local time” spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said in a statement.

He said the attack occurred in the village of Monguno; about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Borno’s restive capital of Maiduguri, considered to be Boko Haram’s headquarter.

“The encounter led to the deaths of 20 Boko Haram terrorists,” Musa said, adding that the attack was “repelled”.

The gunmen came in large numbers with Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, he said. “They came with three trucks and several motorcycles,” he added.

Dangerous Weapons and ammunition were also seized from the militants with which they use to stage attacks but there was no casualty on the part of the military.

There was however no immediate response from the group to deny or confirm whether it really carried out the unsuccessful attack.

Boko Haram says its members are fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.

The group has been blamed for the deaths of some 1,400 people in central and northern Nigeria since 2010 by Amnesty International in its last year report.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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