After a violent gun battle with the troops, insurgents suspected of being members of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) overran a military unit in the southern portion of Borno State on Tuesday and hauled away weapons.
On Tuesday evening, the fighters stormed the military formation at Kwamdi village, Damboa local government area, riding on roughly ten utility vehicles, according to reports.
One Ammour Personal Carrier (APC) and a gun vehicle were claimed to have been burned down.
The lethal group attacked troops camp but not inhabitants, according to Hamidu Abu, a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF).
He went on to say that the base was burned and that the intruders stole rifles and ammo.
“They came at about 4 p.m. and due to the sand storms it was difficult for soldiers to repel them. They burnt down the base including APC and four other vehicles.
“I can’t ascertain if there was any causality figure,” Abu said.
A security source confirmed that the base came under attack from gunmen believed to be ISWAP fighters at about 4 pm and it lasted for about an hour and 30 minutes.
The source added that fighters seized the opportunity of the sand storm to penetrate the base.
“Our base at Kwamdi came under attack but we didn’t lose any of our personnel to the attackers, unfortunately the base suffered some damages,” the security source revealed.
There has not been any official reaction from the Nigerian military.
