Nigeria: Dozens Killed In Northern Nigeria Militant Attack

By Staff Writer

Abuja-- At least 35 people have died in northern Nigeria following two separate attacks by militants suspected to be members of the outlawed Boko Haram group.

A statement by the Nigerian army reported that 32 militants, two soldiers and a police officer died in the coordinated assaults on a police station and a military base on Sunday in the northern state of Borno.

"Troops have successfully repelled Boko Haram terrorist attacks on a police base in Bama... on 4 August," said military spokesman Sagir Musa.

The aggressors are also said to have attacked a military base in the town of MalamFatori, triggering a gun battle that caused great fatalities to its fighters.

The military says sophisticated weapons and explosives were used in the attacks.

The Islamist sect, Boko Haram which is loosely modelled on extremist Islamic and native Hausa practices fights to instil Islamic rule in the predominantly Islamic northern Nigeria, targeting mostly security installations and Christians in its wave of attacks.

More than 3000 people have died in attacks related to the group since 2009 when it first launched its uprising.Despite a brutal repression from the government that seemed to have destroyed its network, the group, has since regrouped and become fierce in its recent attacks.

President Goodluck Jonathan has hinted severally on granting amnesty to the group fighters, following numerous failures to draw the group leaders into peace talks. The group has accussed the government of lack of trust and acting in bad faith.

The decision to grant amnesty to Boko Haram adherents follows the immense pressure on President Jonathan over the issue, and the rising rate of insecurity that has threatened to destabilise Nigeria, which is loosely divided along religious lines.

Underlying issues of poverty and unemployment remain pertinent, with analysts predicting a possible rise of unrest in the future.