At least 8 Boko Haram insurgents were killed by Nigeria Police Force crack team on Tuesday while attempting to attack Maiduguri, Borno state capital, SaharaReporters has gathered.
The gunmen had arrived at the Jiddari Polo area of Maiduguri on motorbikes and some military operational vehicles around 6:30pm before the police crack team led by CSP Mohammed Ibrahim stormed the area with armoured personnel carrier (APC) and repelled the attack.
A source told SaharaReporters that some soldiers stationed in the area fled on sighting the insurgents.
“On sighting the Boko Haram guys, the soldiers ran away with high speed and left us on our own. They didn’t shoot at them (insurgents) at all.
“But the police team came to our rescue. Immediately the gunmen saw them with their APC, they attempted to escape. While pursuing them, the APC overran and killed some of them on the spot.
“When the action was over, the soldiers came back to the scene and wanted to take over the exhibits and claim the credit but the police team refused to oblige,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and displaced millions in North-East Nigeria.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.
In the past months, soldiers have been targeted by the insurgents, who wait in ambush for them.