Molly Kilete, Abuja
At least, two soldiers, a nursing mother and many Boko Haram insurgents, including a top commander, were feared killed in a major attack on Magumeri, a local government headquarters in Borno State.
Sources told Premium Times that that Magumeri came under attack on Tuesday evening when a group of armed insurgents stormed the outskirts of the community in many trucks.
Soldiers of the Special Task Force in Magumeri, led by their commander, Major Manga, were said to have saved the residents from yet another massacre.
“It would have been deadly, but for the swift arrival of Oga Manga and his troops,” said Bunu Bukar, an official of the state vigilante group, called Rapid Response Squad.
“The troops engaged them in a fierce fight that led to the death of many Boko Haram insurgents. A gun truck was recovered from the Boko Haram, amongst other arms and ammunition.
“We lost two soldiers in the fight, while one sustained an injury,” he said.
Other sources familiar with the incident confirmed that the insurgents had, before the arrival of the soldiers, burnt down a general hospital that was recently rebuilt and equipped by the Borno State Government.
The insurgents were said to have escaped with a tractor recently provided to the local government council by the Borno State government.
The source also said a nursing mother was killed after a stray bullet hit her during the shootout.
The source confirmed that the attack on Magumeri coincided with another strike in Kukawa town of Borno State.