Fifteen civilians
and six insurgents died, while seventeen others were injured in the massive
shootout and a series of explosions that shook Maiduguri on Monday.
The Defence Headquarters in Abuja said soldiers blew up
three out of four explosives-laden vehicles driven by suspected Boko Haram
suicide
bombers in Mulai, a community on the outskirts of Maiduguri. The
terrorists, however, managed to blow up the fourth vehicle.
According to the Defence ministry, fifteen civilians and six
terrorists lost their lives, while five soldiers and 12 civilians sutained
injuries. A member of the youth vigilante group was among those who died. Also,
a survivng suicide bomber has been arrested.
Apart from the four vehicles carrying improvised explosive
devices (IEDs), eight more vehicles were destroyed in the course of the
terrorists' attack.
In an earlier interview, Olukolade said that army troops had
fired at terrorists driving cars loaded with IEDs, acting on an intelligence
tip-off. He added that the initial intention was to arrest the insurgents, but
they defied the security checks.
Sources indicate that the militants were headed for a massive
NNPC-owned fuel station located on the Maiduguri-Damboa Road, in hopes of
inflicting maximum casualties.
Residents
of the area say the explosions damaged a fence and some buildings belonging to
the nearby Peace FM radio station.
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