Suspected insurgents attacked Banki, a border town in Borno State, on Thursday night and stole weapons from a military barracks.
According to information obtained by The News Chronicle on Friday night, the attack began around 9:30 p.m. in Bama Local Government Area and continued into the early hours of Friday, forcing soldiers to abandon their posts.
A security memo from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), which supports the military in fighting insurgents, confirmed that the attackers overran the town and stormed the barracks.
“The insurgents entered the military barracks and seized ammunition and weapons,” the memo said, as quoted by The News Chronicle.
The report added that the commanding officer and several soldiers fled towards Cameroon, leaving residents behind. The insurgents, who arrived in large numbers with heavy gunfire, regrouped and returned to the town again on Friday morning.
The Nigerian Army has not yet released an official statement on the incident.
Banki, which was once under Boko Haram control about a decade ago, has continued to face repeated attacks by both Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The insurgency in Borno State has fueled a long running humanitarian crisis, leaving millions displaced and vulnerable.
