Five killed as Boko Haram attacks border towns

Five people including two policemen were killed in separate attacks by suspected Islamist extremist militia Boko Haram targeting churches and border posts.

Abuja: In a fresh wave of violence in Nigeria, five people including two policemen were killed in separate attacks by suspected Islamist extremist militia Boko Haram targetting churches and border posts.

Members of Boko Haram numbering 50 attacked Nigeria`s border towns of Gamboru and Ngala near Niger and Chad respectively, where they killed two policemen. They also killed three persons during an exchange of gunfire with security agencies in Maiduguri, the capital of northern Borno state. At the borders towns which are close to each other, the militants also burnt down three Christian churches, fired into the air and sent residents fleeing. Eyewitnesses said it appears the churches were the main targets of the sect members as they seemed to be annoyed when they failed to meet members of the congregation who had dispersed before their arrival. They burnt the churches in annoyance. Boko Haram also attacked a Customs post, an Immigrations office, a police station and killed two policemen in the process, a source said. An eyewitness also said many telecoms installations were destroyed by the assailants thought they weren`t enough to disrupt services in the area. In Maiduguri, residents were forced to go to bed early yesterday as the militants engaged members of the Joint Task Force of the military in a gun duel that claimed three lives of civilians. In one of the attacks along Bama road near the University of Maiduguri campus, some members of the sect were said to have engaged the military in a shoot-out for several minutes. A police spokesman, Gideon Jubril confirmed the attacks. Boko Harams says it is fighting to install Islamic sharia rule in Africa`s top oil producing country. The country though a secular state, has two major religions; Islam and Christianity. Christians are found mainly in the south, while Muslims are predominant in the north but they share the 150 million population of the country on roughly equal proportion. PTI