Boko Haram carries out attacks in Nigeria’s northeast

Takfiri Boko Haram militants have carried out several attacks in two towns in the volatile northeastern parts of Nigeria, where violent clashes have been going on between the army and the terrorists, witnesses say.

The militants opened fire on army troopers at a military checkpoint on the suburbs of the town of Nafada in Gombe State on Tuesday.

They also set a police station ablaze, robbed a bank, and ruined the office of a political party, according to residents.

“They came in large numbers in vans and on motorcycles,” said Nafada resident Abubakar Galda, adding that the extremists “blew up a police station with rocket propelled grenades.”

Following the first raid, the militants rushed toward the town of Ashaka, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) away, setting fire to a French cement plant.

The fate of French nationals at the plant is still unknown, workers at the site said.

The assaults highlight the deteriorating security condition in Nigeria’s northeast, where Boko Haram is relentlessly committing crimes despite claims of a ceasefire with the terrorist group by the government.

The Nigerian government announced on October 17 that it had secured a deal with Boko Haram for a truce and the release of more than 200 schoolgirls who were kidnapped by the group back in April.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, however, rejected the announcement as “a lie,” saying the kidnapped students have converted to Islam and have been married off since being abducted.