Suspected Boko Haram members have attacked Sassawa village, Damaturu Local Government Area of Yobe State and killed eight soldiers.
A top security source told Daily Trust that the attackers stormed the village in five Hilux vans around 6pm Tuesday and opened fire on the soldiers.
“The attackers took the soldiers unawares at a football pitch. One officer and seven other soldiers were killed. Some others got injured,” he said.
A resident of the place said the military conveyed the copses of the eight military men to Damaturu yesterday morning.
“The boys (attackers) had a field day. After the attack, they forced many shops and stores open and carted food items away,” he said.
When contacted, the spokesman of 3 Division Military Base in Damaturu, Colonel Kayode Ogunsanya, said there was an attack on the military but he could not give the level of casualty.
“There was casualty on both sides but I cannot ascertain the number. Men on ground had repelled the attack,” he said.
The Police Commissioner, Yobe State Command, Mr Abdulmaliki Sumonu, said they were still working on the details.
Since the establishment of the military base in Sassawa, which is 37 kilometers away from Yobe State capital, Damaturu, the Tuesday attack would be the fourth on the town and military formation in the area.
Sassawa village has been without GSM network since the insurgency heightened in the area.
