The Islamic State (IS)-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, has killed at least four policemen in Borno State.
The midnight attack took lace at the Police station located in Gajiram, about 73 kilometers to Maiduguri, the restive capital of the North Eastern State of Borno.
Sources, including a security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, said via X (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday that the terrorists disguised themselves and sneaked into the town Friday midnight and went straight to the Police quarters. They subsequently opened fire on some policemen, killing four of them.
According to Makama: “The incident occured around 1am on Saturday. The terrorists disguised themselves and sneaked into the town at about 11am on Friday and went straight to the police quarters in Gajiram Town and opened fire killing four policemen.
“Sources said Mobile Policemen at the Police quarters engaged the terrorists in heavy gun battle which prevented them from burning down the quarters. It was learnt that when the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Gajiram stormed the scene, they terrorists had fled.”
Since the death of JAS leader, Abubakar Shekau, ISWAP has been consolidating its grip in locations around Lake Chad.
The sect’s membership has swollen with the defection of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters under Shekau.
While the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) have repeatedly claimed that the terrorists have been largely defeated, the terrorists continue to cause the death of thousands of people and displacement of millions of others, especially in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States.
