The Borno State Police Command has confirmed the death of two mobile policemen during an attack in Damboa local government on Thursday which the military described as “minor”.
Police spokesperson Kamilu Mohammed made the confirmation on Friday evening but gave no further details about the incident.
The attack was carried out by suspected insurgents who drove into the town at about 5:34pm on Thursday in a convoy of eight gun trucks.
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The mobile police base appeared to be their main target at they engaged the personnel in a heavy gun fight killing the two personnel in the process and eventually setting the base ablaze.
Local sources say one civilian was also killed by a stray bullet during the fire exchange.
The Minister of Defense Bashir Magashi, who led the Chief of Defense Staff and other service chiefs to Maiduguri a day after the attack, confirmed to journalists that the Damboa incident was one of the issues discussed during a closed door meeting that lasted four hours.
“Some of the things we discussed is how we can conduct the next phase of operation which is highly classified and are not meant for discussion with the press. We have gotten the problems that require urgent solutions and the ones that will require a little bit of time for our next move in the operation,” Magashi explained.
The Chief of Defense Staff. General Lucky Irabor, who barred the minister from making further comments, said it was a “minor issue.”
“Those are tactical issues, you don’t bother the Minister with such; the theatre commander will take care of such, it’s a minor issue,” Irabor said.
