LAGOS, Nigeria

The Nigerian army on Friday said that it killed 16 Boko Haram terrorists in northeastern Borno state.

In a statement, army spokesperson Onyechi Anele said the soldiers engaged the terrorists with sustained indirect fire around 1:00 a.m. (2:00 WAT) in the Damboa local government on Friday and the gun battle led to the death of no fewer than 16 terrorists.

Boko Haram, a deadly terror group based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali, has carried out a series of deadly attacks and displacements of innocent people for over a decade.

Borno State has, in the last few months, witnessed an increase in the activities of the terrorists, using explosive devices to wreak havoc.

“The main thrust of the attack targeted the Brigade, prompting the swift deployment of air support to reinforce ground troops,” Anele said in a statement on Friday.

She also confirmed that an ammunition storage area was hit during the exchange but was swiftly brought under control, with no further escalation recorded.

Similarly, Nigeria's National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said 15,543 insurgents were killed across the country in the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Ribadu disclosed this in a presentation he made at the national summit of the All Progressives Congress to mark the two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration on Thursday.