Premium Times says it has confirmed from credible sources that the Nigerian military are currently in a fierce gunbattle with fighters of ISWAP, a breakaway group of Boko Haram, in Monguno, Borno State.

The attack which started at about noon was ongoing at the time of filing this report.

Sources who spoke with our correspondent said the insurgents invaded the town in their large number firing shots into the town which plays host to thousands of internally displaced persons.

Monguno is the country home of, Mr Mohammed Monguno, a major general and the current national security adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Monguno is about 93 km North-east of Gubio, the local government where 81 villagers were massacred in one of the deadliest attacks of Boko Haram on Tuesday.

An official of Civilian-JTF, Mr Bunu Malam, who also confirmed the ongoing fight said “we have since received a signal from Monguno axis, but their telecommunications network there seemed to have gone down; so one could not reach people there.”

There are about 120,000 IDPs spread across 33,000 households presently in Monguno.

PT