By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS
The Nigerian army on Tuesday announced that it had killed "scores" of Boko Haram militants in the town of Mubi in northeastern Adamawa State.
"Counterterrorist troops carried out an attack on insurgents in Mubi town," Nigeria's defense headquarters said on its official Twitter account.
"In the fierce battle to root out the insurgents, scores of insurgents lost their lives while several others escaped with fatal gunshot wounds," it added.
"Two officers and three soldiers who were wounded in the battle are currently receiving treatment at a military facility," the army said.
A retweet by defense spokesman Chris Olukolade suggested that the army had cleared Mubi and nearby settlements of Boko Haram militants.
On Monday, administrators at Adamawa State University in Mubi announced the school's "indefinite closure" for security reasons, as insurgents reportedly seized nearby towns.
It is not yet clear if authorities will reopen the university, which currently hosts a total of 4,600 undergraduate and 384 postgraduate students, following the military operations.
A local newspaper reported Monday that the small villages of Duhu, Kirchinga and Shuwa had all been captured by Boko Haram.
If true, this would bring to eight the number of towns now controlled by Boko Haram in Adamawa State, which has a population of some 2.5 million.
Boko Haram militants have already overrun the towns of Dikwa, Gamboru Ngala, Gwoza and Bama in neighboring Borno State.
Maiduguri, the densely populated provincial capital of Borno and the state's most populous city, appears to be the militants' primary objective.
Boko Haram also now controls Buni Yadi and Bara in the neighboring Yobe State.
The group's elusive leader, Abubakar Shekau, recently declared all territories under Boko Haram control to be part of an "Islamic caliphate" in northern Nigeria.
Since May of last year, all three states – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – have remained in a state of emergency imposed by the government with the stated aim of curbing the Boko Haram menace.
english@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en/world
