The Nigerian Army on Friday said Boko Haram terrorists had not taken over Baga town in Borno.
“Baga town is not in the hands of the Boko Haram. They contested it but they lost the contest,’’ Lamidi Adeosun, the Army’s Chief of Training and Operations said at a news conference in Maiduguri.
Mr. Adeosun, a Maj.-Gen., however, confirmed that as at Thursday, troops had engaged the terrorists in a fierce battle to repel them.
“They terrorised the town and attacked the Headquarters of the 7 Brigade of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) at about 7 p.m. on Wednesday,’’ he said.
Security sources told many media outlets that the insurgents took control of the town after prolonged fighting, and that the military was sending reinforcements to try and dislodge them.
Residents have also confirmed that the insurgent briefly hoisted their flag in the town following a fierce battle with Nigerian soldiers.
The fishing community fell to the group in 2015 but was retaken by the Nigerian military backed by the armed forces of Niger and Chad.
With agency report