Sounds of bomb blasts and several gun shots scared residents of Tinshama in Otoro, Taurani Local Government Area of Kano State, Northwest Nigeria, this morning.
The crossfire started at about 5 a.m. and lasted till about 6.30 a.m. this morning.
According to one of the residents, “We woke up this morning disturbed by sounds like bombshell which sounded for about five times. They were followed with several gun shots.
“As I talk to you now, most residents including myself have fled the area,” a resident who refused to disclose his name told our correspondent.
A military source later told the AFP that the militants had thrown explosives and fired at a Nigerian military checkpoint on Wednesday, igniting the gunbattle, the reverbrations which were heard all over the city, where attacks in January killed 185.
“Our checkpoint …came under attack this morning by gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram,” a military source told AFP.
“The soldiers repelled the attack and arrested four suspects” in the wake of the dawn assault that shook the northern city still trying to recover from the January 20 deadly bomb-and-gun assault.
Kano State military spokesman Iweha Ikedichi confirmed the arrest of “four suspected members of Boko Haram” in the Tinshama area of the city but refused to give further details.
Security forces cordoned off the area for several hours after the attack.
Soldiers later drove around the neighbourhood shooting into the air and arrested the four suspects.
The country’s emergency agency NEMA said there were no casualties.
An AFP correspondent heard at least six explosions followed by gunshots, just before the Muslim dawn prayers.
The Islamic sect staged coordinated gun and bomb assaults in Kano on January 20, killing at least 185 people in what was the deadliest of a string of recent assaults in northern Nigeria.
There have since been several smaller attacks in the city.
Yet, there were conflicting reports about the incident at Tinshama this morning as at the time of filing this report.
A version of the report said the JTF raided a Boko Haram hideout within the area which resulted in a bloody gun fight.
The casualties during the gun fight could not be ascertained by P.M.NEWS as at press time.
An AFP correspondent also claimed to have heard at least six huge explosions followed by gun shots, just before Muslim dawn prayers, which continued for around an hour.
Tinshama is also close to the low income suburb of Badawa, which also home to both Christians and Muslims.
“The whole area has been cordoned off by armed soldiers and policemen. All we hear is that a house suspected to be a Boko Haram hideout was raided by security agents,” said Badawa resident Bala Haruna.
In January, Boko Haram staged coordinated gun and bomb assaults in Kano, killing at least 185 people in what was the group’s deadliest ever strike.-PM
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