Deadly raid by Boko Haram on Nigeria base
At least 24 killed in attack by Boko Haram fighters on army base in northeast town of Buni Yadi, witnesses say. |
Multiple witnesses said that the armed men stormed the police station in the town inside Yobe State. [Al Jazeera]
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At least 24 people have been killed following an attack on a military base in Nigeria by Boko Haram fighters, witnesses said. The gunmen attacked the base in the northeast Nigerian town of Buni Yadi in Yobe State, where the group massacred scores of students earlier this year, witnesses told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. Multiple witnesses said that the armed men stormed the remote town at 8:00pm (1900 GMT) on Monday, firing first on soldiers manning a checkpoint and razing the local police station. They then torched the home of local government leader and several government buildings before turning their guns on an empty primary school, said witness Kura Babagana. "When they started attacking, people began to flee," he said. "There were casualties on the part of the security personnel but I don't know how many." Scores of vehicles were also burnt during the attack, he added, an account supported by other witnesses including Buni Ibrahim, a trader who was in the town at the time. Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris said the attack reportedly lasted for three hours. "This is not the first time that they have carried out such attacks and they have become bolder," our correspondent said. |
