Five Boko Haram militants, two police officers killed in Yobe as government imposes curfew

As violence continue to spread across different local government areas in the Northeast, gunmen suspected to be members of Islamic sect, Boko Haram, have again attacked Gashua town in Yobe state, killing two police officers.

Gashua is 185 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.

A statement from the JTF in Damaturu and made available to DailyPost, said an encounter with Boko Haram militants occurred at about 12 midnight on Thursday, 25 April 2013, when unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists attacked JTF’s location in Gashua town, the Police Area Command and Gashua Divisional Police Station.

Spokesman to the JTF, Lt. Eli Lazarus said, men of the JTF were able to repel and contain the attack on its location.

According to him, reinforcement was however dispatched swiftly and we were able to engage the terrorists, but two police officers were killed in the attack, while five of the suspected terrorists lost their lives during the encounter.

He said, some of the suspected terrorists escaped in two vehicles with bullet wounds while others are believed to have hidden in the town.

” The fleeing terrorists took away one police Hilux vehicle fitted with siren at the top, one other vehicle, police uniforms and other items from the Police stations.

Meanwhile, items recovered include; One Toyota Corolla Car, One Peugeot 406 Saloon Car, One Isuzu Pick Up Van, One AK 47 Rifle, One Police Anti-Riot Gun, One Locally Made Pistol, One Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Bomb, One Generating Set and large quantity of ammunition.”

The statement also enjoined the public to be mindful of the fact that the terrorists are still around and are bent on wrecking havoc and instilling fear in law abiding citizens of the state in order to make life unbearable for them.

“Let no one be in doubt however, that JTF would continue to respond appropriately to such attacks. The Task Force urges all law abiding citizens to remain calm as it is currently on top of the situation. A search operation is currently ongoing in Gashua town.” He said.

Meanwhile, the Yobe state governmnet has imposed curfew as from 4:00pm to 1:00pm in Gashua town