Boko Haram, troops clash along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway, many dead

Scores of the Boko Haram sect feared dead when the armed group clashed with military troops along Maiduguri- Damaturu highway on Sunday morning.

Specifically, the road which is about a 65km drive from Maiduguri,- Auno, Jakana- Mainok and Beneshiekh has been a nightmare, as motorists and passengers are been ambushed and kidnapped almost on daily basis.

Just last week, a bride and her friends, relatives were kidnapped along the same route near Jakana village before they were released after spending a day with their captors.

Sources said the gunmen in military uniforms armed in gun trucks boast out through Lawan -Mainari village at about 10 am in an attempt to attack a military base near Jakana, they engaged each other in a shootout for about two hours, which halted traffic flow as hundreds of motorists and passengers were trapped and stranded, before they were escorted to Maiduguri and Damaturu by soldiers.

According to security personnel who is not authorized to talk to the press said, ” troops succeeded in killing scores of the insurgents and are currently in mop-up operations”.

Confirming the incident, the Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) charged with the responsibility of securing farmers, motorists and passengers along the road, Abioye Babalola told Journalists that the attack had been repelled and travellers were safe as they all reach their destinations after the incident.

“It was Boko Haram sect that attempted to cause havoc between Mainok and Jakana villages, but they met their waterloo with support from ground troops and airstrike”.