Borno: CID Operative, Four Others Killed In Fresh Boko Haram Attack

…Several Others Injured
SAN FRANCISCO, July 05, (THEWILL) - A fresh explosion at a security post in the Borno town of Konduga Friday claimed the lives of five persons and injured several others.

One of those killed was a plain-clothed police officer from the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

The explosion was caused by explosives planted in a pickup van loaded with firewood by suspected Boko Haram insurgents who detonated the explosives at the security post manned by a combined team of Civilian JTF members and police officials.

Local sources said the explosion occurred when the pickup van approached the checkpoint at about noon and as the Civilian JTF and the police tried to flag down the car, the driver who was apparently on a suicide mission immediately detonated the explosives.

The development came hours after the insurgents suffered heavy casualty in two different military offensive carried out Thursday night and Friday morning.

The attack on Konduga also came few hours after the terrorists suffered a heavy casualty when they attempted to attack a military base in Damboa town, 85 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Confirming the incident , a top security operative who craved anonymity, said : 'There was a blast targeted at the members of the Civilian JTF manning a checkpoint in Konduga. About five persons were reportedly killed and several others injured.”

The terrorists were apparently on a reprisal mission following the heavy casualty they suffered when an Air Force jet bombarded their hideout in Yajiwa and Alagarno areas of Damboa Local Government Area of the state.

'It was a successful air raid carried out by the Air Force in conjunction with the ground troops of the Nigerian Army from Division 7.

'During the air raid that took place on Thursday evening, the Boko Haram suffered heavy casualty as dozens of them were killed.

Angered by the devastation they suffered, the insurgents decided to mobilise in full force with an attempt to attack the base in Damboa, but unknown to them, the soldiers there were fully aware and on alert about possible reprisal attack. And when they eventually surfaced on Friday morning in over 10 vehicles, the soldiers took them by surprise and engaged them in a fierce shoot out that claimed over 50 of them,' a top security source said, craving anonymity.