ABUJA, July 26 (Xinhua) -- At least two persons were killed and dozens sustained injuries following an attack by Boko Haram militants on a camp of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, according to local officials on Friday.
The Boko Haram militants gained entry into the Dalori IDPs Camp, located about 4 km north of Maiduguri, the state capital, on motorbikes late Thursday.
Bello Danbatta, head of the State Emergency Management Agency, told Xinhua that the Boko Haram militants entered the camp shooting heavily at the residents.
Security troops, who later responded to the attack, engaged the militants in a gunfight which lasted about half an hour, Danbatta said.
The official said some of the injured IDPs were caught in the crossfire between the troops and militants.
Among the injured were students of the nearby University of Maiduguri who were passing through the camp at the time of the attack.
Bukar Mele, a survivor of the attack, said he and others were praying in a local mosque inside the IDPs camp when they suddenly heard heavy gunshots by the Boko Haram militants.
Mele said they were forced to abandon their fellowship and run. "Dozens of people sustained injuries while running away from that attack," he said.
On July 24, 2017, exactly two years ago, at least seven people were killed when Boko Haram launched two suicide blasts in the same Dalori IDPs camp. Some 15 people were injured in those blasts.
Boko Haram, which launched attacks in Nigeria's northeast a decade ago, is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most populous African country.
