A faction of Boko Haram linked to the Islamic State have attacked a UN base and overran a humanitarian hub in Borno.
It was learnt that scores of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters invaded the town of Dikwa in restive Borno state, dislodging troops from the military base and torching the humanitarian hub.
Security and humanitarian sources told AFP that the attack left 25 aid workers trapped. A humanitarian source said;
“We have 25 staff sheltering in the bunker which is under siege by the militants… but so far no staff has been affected.”
Military reinforcements, including fighter jets and a helicopter gunship, had been deployed to help repel the attackers, the military source said.
A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres confirmed only that there was a “security incident”, but gave no further details.