Two Boko Haram terrorist suspects escaped a pending arrest after a raid on the home they were residing in resulted in a bloody gun battle between them and a team of joint security operatives, which lasted for hours, leaving one of the security personnel dead.
The jihadist militants left their wives behind and were reportedly apprehended by the security operatives, according to Nigerian newspaper Leadership. The raid took place around 1 a.m. in central Kaduna State and involved the joint security team, which consisted of Soldiers and the State Security Service (SSS).
Boko Haram recently officially changed its name to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Malam Suleiman Mohammed, who is the head of the community in Kaduna State’s Ungwan Keke-B village, told Leadership that, to avoid injuries, residents of neighboring homes were ordered to evacuate the area before the shooting match took place.
Last week, the terrorist group reportedly coordinated a deadly blast, using two suicide bombers, which took the lives of 31 people in Yola, the capital city of Adamawa State on Nigeria’s eastern border.
One week before that, another group of Boko Haram (ISWAP) militants reportedly fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) into the crowded northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri that left at least 30 dead. That same day, a suicide bomber detonated himself at a mosque near the city’s main entrance, leaving at least 16 people dead.
Boko Haram has historically been based in far eastern Borno state and has been waging a campaign to conquer its capital, Maiduguri. It has also maintained a strong presence in neighboring Yobe and Adamawa States. The attack in Kaduna, however, a north-central state, indicates its reach may be expanding.
Follow Adelle Nazarian on Twitter @AdelleNaz.
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