The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Yobe state, has confirmed that four persons have been killed in renewed clash between security forces and suspected members of the Boko Haram Sect in Potiskum, Yobe state, north-east Nigeria.
The spokesperson of JTF in Yobe, Lieutenant Eli Lazarus in a statement said the hoodlums attacked the area command office of the Nigerian Police in Potiskum, adding that JTF quickly reinforced the police promptly to repel the attack.
This, he claimed led to the killing of three of the attackers while the DPO of the area later died in the hospital as a result of gunshot injuries he sustained in the clash.
The statement also alleged that 10 other bodies of the hoodlums were carried away by the terrorists during the attack which started around 2am, Monday morning.
The police assured residents of adequate security of lives and property as it appealed for calm, adding that, all measures are being taken to restore normalcy in the state.
Unknown gunmen widely suspected to be members of Boko Haram in the early hours of Monday attacked Potiskum the commercial center of Yobe state, North-East Nigeria, killing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Area.
The renewed attack is still on going as movement in the troubled town has been “restricted”. Potiskum has in the late months, witnessed numerous attacks from the sect members.
Some eye witness accounts claim three of the sect members were also killed while the Unity Bank branch in Potiskum, located in the heart of the town along NPN road, was razed down as several vehicles were also reported burnt.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Salisu Adamu who confirmed the incident to Channels Television in Damaturu, the state capital, said “There were killings and destructions’ in Potiskum town but it is still unclear the extent of the destruction.”
As at the time of filing this report, DSP Salisu Adamu, revealed that the command is still on its way to Potiskum to authenticate the level of damage caused by the hoodlums.
He however said the officers and men on ground were able to repel the attack but that the DPO Mohammed Garba may have been killed in the attack.
The PPRO said he will brief the press as soon as he is back from the scene.
Yobe state has for the past two months has been relatively peaceful as security forces intensifies efforts to restore normalcy in the north east state of the country which has been bedeviled in the last one year.