ABUJA — Eighteen people were killed and 21 others wounded when militants of the extremist group Boko Haram attacked Nigeria’s northeastern town of Damasak earlier this week, wreaking havoc in the area, said a state governor on Friday.
Babagana Umara Zulum, governor of the restive state of Borno, told reporters on Friday during his visit to Damasak that he has confirmed from local residents 18 people had died and 21 injured in the Boko Haram attack on Tuesday.
“The UN humanitarian hub, private residential houses, a police station, a primary healthcare centre … were among properties destroyed,” said Zulum.
According to the governor, the militants invaded the town with three gun trucks. He said he visited Damasak to fully assess the extent of damage and interact well with security officials involved in the counterinsurgency operations in the town, adding measures were put in place to forestall future attacks.
Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009. The terror group has also extended its attacks to other countries in the Lake Chad Basin.
