More Die in Boko Haram assault on Border Post

The death toll from an attack by suspected members of Islamist group Boko Haram on a town along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon has risen to at least 10, police said Thursday.

Suspected Boko Haram members burnt down immigration and customs posts in the town of Banki in Borno state in northeastern Nigeria on Tuesday night, and also tried to set fire to a police station where officers repelled them.

An army spokesman previously confirmed five people killed, including one customs and one immigration officer.

According to the AFP, Borno state police commissioner Bala Hassan said Thursday five suspected Boko Haram members were also killed during a shootout when they attempted to attack the police station.

“The attackers tried to burn down the Banki police station during the attack but the police repelled them and killed five gunmen in the shootout,” he said.

“We recovered two AK47 rifles with 12 rounds of ammunition and a car used by the attackers.”

Banki has a popular market patronised by traders from Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.

Boko Haram’s increasingly bloody insurgency has left more than 1,000 people dead since mid-2009 in Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer.

Criminal gangs have also carried out robberies and assaults under the guise of Boko Haram.