Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Police Station

Suspected members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram attacked a police station with gunfire and explosives in northeast Nigeria near the border with Cameroon on Monday, a police source said.

The attack occurred near the area where seven members of a French family were kidnapped last month, but there was no apparent link between the incidents. Details were still emerging of the attack, including whether there were casualties.

“We have received a report of an ongoing attack on the divisional police station in Gwoza by suspected Boko Haram gunmen,” a senior police source in the region said.

“Policemen are currently engaged in a gun battle with the heavily armed attackers who are also using explosives.”

Residents reported gunfire and explosions shaking the town for more than an hour.

The French family, including four children, was kidnapped in Cameroon on February 19, with the abduction blamed on Boko Haram.

Cameroon officials said the victims were then taken over the border into Nigeria’s restive northeast.

Boko Haram has carried out scores of attacks in Nigeria’s northeast and criminal gangs also operate in the region.

Violence linked to Boko Haram’s insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has left some 3,000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.