Soldiers reportedly killed, two policewomen abducted as Boko Haram attacks Dikwa

Boko Haram insurgents reportedly attacked the town of Dikwa, Borno State, killing two soldiers and abducting two policewomen.

According to reports, the insurgents killed the two soldiers in a gun battle that ensued as men of the Nigerian Army repelled their attack on the local government headquarters.

Residents and sources in the town disclosed that the insurgents stormed the town around 5:30pm and operated for over four hours before leaving around 9:00pm.

A Civilain JTF operative said: “They killed two soldiers and abducted two women police. Six IDPs were also injured in the attack. The Insurgents took away one police van and also burst the tire of the civilian JTF van.”

Another source, a displaced person living in the IDP camp in Dikwa disclosed that while the attack was going on, the camp residents, who were all afraid, were holed up in their tents.

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He said: “We were in our tents in the camp and were hearing shootings from a distance and we knew those gunshots could not be from the army so we did not go out to know how deadly the attack was.”

Speaking also on the attack, a humanitarian worker in Dikwa disclosed that the attackers who came on foot were pursued by troops.

He said: “When they came into the town on foot, they started shooting sporadically. We all took to our heels. From the way they attacked, it was obvious they were on the run because the army has been clearing them in Sambisa Forest and you know Dikwa is in close proximity to the forest.

“I cannot tell the number of casualties because I ran for safety and I have not heard anything about the casualty figures but they didn’t target any particular place for destruction.”

There had been no comment from authorities as at the time of this report.

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