Abuja: At least 17 police trainees were killed and several others injured after heavily armed militants attacked a military training facility in northeastern Nigeria’s Yobe State, officials confirmed.
The attack took place at the Nigerian Army Special Forces Training School located in the Buni Yadi area. According to local authorities, the assailants launched a coordinated overnight assault using gunfire and explosives, triggering panic inside the training camp where police and security personnel were undergoing specialized training.
Nigeria Police spokesperson Anthony Okon Placide confirmed the incident and said most of the victims were police trainees. Security forces have since cordoned off the area and launched a large-scale search operation to track down the attackers.
While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the assault, preliminary investigations suggest the involvement of jihadist organizations such as Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), both of which have carried out numerous attacks in the region over the years.
Nigeria’s northeastern region has remained a hotspot of extremist violence for more than a decade. Since the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009, thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced despite repeated military offensives and international counterterrorism efforts.