Some repentant Boko Haram insurgents have reportedly invaded a police station in an attempt to set free their colleagues that were arrested earlier over alleged drug offences.
The incident reportedly occured on Tuesday night in Maiduguri.
However, Police Public Relations Officer in Borno State, Kenneth Daso who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, said the assailants were repelled by officers on duty.
Daso said the security breach was heralded by an operation carried out by the police.
According to him, “On the 30/04/24 at about 1745hrs in a joint operation raid at the Kasuwar Fara, following an intelligence report that some drug peddlers, smokers, repentant and Boko Haram insurgents are indulging in nefarious activities, eight persons were arrested including seven male and a female in that operation with 476grams of illicit substances
“As you know, such activities have been banned in the area by the state government since last year.
“Few hours after the arrest, some unscrupulous persons, so-called repentant Boko Haram, dressed up in military attire tried to invade our police station at Ibrahim Taiwo but were repelled immediately.
“Thereafter, they went and attacked Nigeria Immigration Service and NDLEA check points after the welcome to the township gate and they burnt it down.”
Speaking further, the ASP said that a serious investigation is currently ongoing to unravel those who were behind the acts.
However, some eyewitness who spoke to the aforementioned publication said that the attackers dressed in military camouflage and wielding cutlasses, forcefully gained access into the police station and whisked away some suspects.
“About 20 of the attackers forced their way into the police station and escaped with some of the detained members.
“They left some policemen on duty wounded; they also went on rampage attacking passers-by with cutlasses, before reinforcements by the CRACKS team arrived,” he said.
Another witness said the police operatives in the station did their best to repel the attackers but were subdued.
“Some of the police operatives took to their heels but returned when reinforcements came. We were told that the actual suspects could not be freed, only some people at the counter escaped.
“It was a sad incident,” he said.
