By Olarewaju Kola
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - At least four civilians were killed and five others injured in a suspected Boko Haram attack in Nigeria's northeastern Maiduguri city on Christmas Day.
The militants in an attempt to invade the city fired several gunshots in Molai, a volatile area in the outskirts, on Monday evening.
Residents said the casualties occurred when military forces tried to push back the insurgents.
"Four people have been killed," a resident Suleiman Maina told Anadolu Agency.
A member of Civilian JTF, a volunteer group fighting alongside the military against Boko Haram, confirmed the death toll to Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity due to restriction on speaking to the media.
He added that five men from the volunteer group were injured in the nearly two-hour-long gunfight.
A body was seen by an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene of the gun attack on Tuesday morning.
The military authority said it had repelled the attack but did not disclose the casualties.
"There was an attempted attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists who came with Persons Borne Improvised Explosives (PIEDs) and gun truck," said Maj. Gen Rogers Nicholas, commander of the counter-insurgency operation in the country’s northeast region.
“No security personnel lost his life,” he said.
The Christmas Day attack by Boko Haram was the first since June, when insurgents invaded the city barely eight hours before the arrival of the country’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who was visiting to distribute aid to victims of the violence.
The National Emergency Management Agency said in a recent report nearly 3 million people have been displaced by the violence in the region.