NIGERIAN Army troops managed to repel an audacious Boko Haram attack on their barracks in the Borno State capital Maiduguri after a bitter exchange of gunfire that lasted for about two hours.
Starting at around 11.20am yesterday, a bitter battle raged as the terrorist sect sought to seize the 333 Artillery Barracks of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri. It was eventually repelled at about 1am this morning after a firefight which made many believe that Maiduguri was being overrun by the insurgents as the sound of gunshots was heard in almost all part of the city, awakening local residents.
Apparently, the insurgents had wanted to penetrate the 333 Artillery Barracks on the outskirts of Maiduguri, having come through Gambori village and positioned themselves around the facility. They shot mortars into the barracks but were replied with equally devastating shots by the soldiers.
As the fighting raged, the insurgents were also bombarded from the air by planes deployed from the nearby Nigerian Air Force base. Their attack made villagers around the barrack run into the bush believing that their villages may have come under siege.
This morning around 1am however, the fighting ended, with the insurgents fleeing, having failed with their objective. It is not yet clear how many casualties each side sustained in the fierce battle.
