No fewer than 29 persons were reportedly killed on Sunday when Boko Haram insurgents engaged the Nigerian military in a cross-fire in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The bloody confrontation started when the insurgents launched a coordinated attack on a military camp and the adjoining Bale Shuwa and Alikaranti communities on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

The insurgents reportedly attacked the military base in the Cashew Plantation area at the city entrance with suicide bombers, mortars and guns leading to an exchange of gunfire that lasted for several hours.

According to Bello Dambatto, an official from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) a total of 18 bodies have so far been recovered from the two communities, even as the Nigerian Army confirmed that 15 persons, including a soldier lost their lives while 83 others sustained various degrees of injuries.

Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu in a statement released in Maiduguri said the gallant troops repelled the insurgents’ attack which he said was aimed at infiltrating the city.

“Troops deployed in the Cashew Plantation around Bale Shuwa and Alikaranti villages have quashed an attempt by Boko Haram terrorists to penetrate Maiduguri on Sunday around 8:10pm.

“The insurgents met with stiff resistance of the troops who killed the insurgents and neutralized seven suicide bombers in the encounter,” Nwachukwu said.

He added that when the attackers were unable to force their way into the metropolis, they retreated and callously resorted to attacking locals who were fleeing in confusion from the villages having heard the sporadic gunshots and multiple explosions.

The Borno State Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu also confirmed the incident, adding that 29 persons, including members of the terrorist group, villagers and a soldier died in the attacks.

At a press briefing in Maiduguri, Chukwu disclosed that 13 Boko Haram members, 13 civilians and a soldier were killed in the attacks. He said the remaining two persons died while receiving treatment in the hospital.