55 Nigerians Killed, 105 Prisoners Freed In Boko Haram Attack

As many as 55 people were killed and 105 prisoners freed in coordinated attacks by the militant group Boko Haram targeting security points in Nigeria's north-east on Tuesday.

Reports quoting the military and witnesses said the militants burned Army barracks, a prison and police post and government buildings in the pre-dawn raid in the tiny remote town of Bama in Borno state.

Military spokesman Musa Sagir told news agencies that around 200 heavily armed militants, who came in buses and pick-up trucks, launched the attack at about 05:00 a.m. local time.
The gunmen broke into the prison after their attack on the military barracks and the police station were repelled. Thirteen militants, some of them disguised as Army personnel, were killed in the five-hour shootout between them and security forces.
Casualties included 22 police officers, 14 prison wardens, two soldiers and four civilians.
Extremist attacks are common in the Boko Haram base, but the scale of bloodshed makes it one of the deadliest strikes since a 2009 uprising by the rebels.
In an effort to stem the violence that threatens stability in Africa's top energy producer, President Goodluck Jonathan had set up a committee to work out modalities of an amnesty to the militants, as well as to open talks with Boko Haram, but its leader Abubakar Shekau rejected it.
Boko Haram, based in Northern Nigeria, wants to carve out an Islamic state in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north. The radical sect also campaigns aggressively against Western education, which it considers anti-Islamic. More than 3,500 people are believed to have been killed since the terror outfit began its campaign of violence four years ago.

55 Nigerians Killed, 105 Prisoners Freed In Boko Haram Attack