Suspected Boko Haram fighters have attacked a military post in Mairari community, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, with some soldiers feared killed.
The attack reportedly occurred around midnight on Tuesday and lasted for more than two hours, according to local sources who spoke to The Punch.
Although the exact number of casualties remains unknown, sources said both the military and the attackers may have suffered losses during the confrontation.
The Chairman of Guzamala Local Government Area, Umar Sheriff, confirmed the incident on Wednesday, stating that the assailants targeted the military facility and that no civilian was reported killed.
He said, “The incident occurred last night around 12 am. Though I don’t have statistics regarding the casualties yet, because it’s not everything we are told. It’s a security matter. But I know that no civilian was killed.”
Sheriff described the assault as unusually severe, noting that the community had not experienced an attack of such magnitude in recent times.
“They have never attacked as much as this time, but thank God, the military were able to repel them,” he stressed.
The council chairman added that calm had returned to the area and that he planned to visit the community on Thursday to assess the situation.
“The situation is calm. I will be there tomorrow morning (Thursday) to evaluate the situation,” he stated.
However, local sources expressed concern over possible military casualties, although the reported figures could not be independently confirmed.
One source claimed that there were reports of seven soldiers being killed but acknowledged that the information had not been verified.
“I know there are military casualties. It was rumoured that seven soldiers were killed, but no one could verify that yet,” one source said.
Another source said the exchange of gunfire had heightened tension across the community, adding that the attackers were also likely to have suffered casualties.
“That attack left the entire town in tension. With the gunfire yesterday, there is no way that the terrorists will not suffer casualties. Both local forces and the military stood their ground,” another source familiar with the incident told The PUNCH.
Efforts to obtain an official military response were unsuccessful as of press time.
The Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Mohammed Goni, neither answered nor returned calls seeking his comments.
The military had yet to provide an official account of the incident or confirm the number of casualties at the time of filing this report.
