Gore gory details of last week’s Boko Haram attacks on Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, emerged yesterday. No fewer than 128 people were killed, it was learnt.
Military and hospital reports indicated to Associated Press (AP) that 23 soldiers, eight policemen and 95 insurgents were killed in the five-hour long battle between the Islamic extremists and troops.
There has been no specific figure given by the military on the casualty , but the latest findings showed that the militants had a strong hand and caught troops by surprise.
The attack came after a lull and almost six months after the federal government imposed a state of emergency in Yobe along with Borno and Adamawa states.
Reporters saw that the extremists set ablaze four police command posts and an army barracks where they looted vehicles and weapons.
Police and witnesses said at least two civilians died — a man believed killed by the insurgents and a civil servant shot by soldiers for breaking the curfew.
Also yesterday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR) urged neigbouring countries to keep their borders open for Nigerians fleeing the escalating violence and who may be in need of international protection.
The Geneva-based agency also advised states against forced return of people to the region.
Spokesperson Dan McNorton told reporters: “Our recommendations are contained in a newly issued Return Advisory, which seeks to ensure that humanitarian and asylum principles are upheld in light of the worsening security situation in northeastern Nigeria.”