Again!!! Boko Haram attacks Maiduguri in Borno State

Boko Haram jihadists attacked a key city in
northeast Nigeria on Sunday evening, residents
told AFP, the second assault in days as Nigerian
President Muhammadu Buhari’s deadline to
eradicate the militants is set to expire.
The jihadists invaded Jiddari Polo, an
area on the outskirts of the capital of
northeastern Borno state, Maiduguri, at
around 6:30 pm (1730 GMT), shooting
guns and unleashing explosives.
“We had just finished evening prayer in
the mosque when we began to hear the
barrages of artillery fire and sound of
gunfire,” said local Shehu Mala.
“All the residents in the area fled their
homes to other parts of the city.”
Nigeria’s military responded with
artillery fire, forcing the attackers to
retreat.
Boko Haram fighters have made several
attempts to retake Maiduguri —- the
birthplace of the jihadist movement -—
since they were pushed out three years
ago.
It was not immediately clear if there had
been any casualties from the fighting.
“We have to wait until the morning to
have a good picture of the aftermath of
the clash, because it happened in the
dark,” said Babakura Kolo, a civilian
vigilante assisting the military.
The attack comes just days before
Buhari’s self-imposed deadline to stamp
out the group expires on December 31,
and in the same week that he said
Nigeria has “technically” defeated the
jihadists.
Nigerian troops have won back territory
from Boko Haram, but two attacks
launched by the militants within the
space of three days have called into
question Buhari’s claim.
Attacking astride bicycles, Boko Haram
invaded Kimba village in Borno state on
Christmas Day evening, killing at least
14 residents and torching their homes.
The insurgents have also carried out
deadly cross-border raids in
neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and
Niger, fuelling fears that the hardline
Muslim movement is growing into a
regional jihadist threat.