Niger: 17 officers killed, 4 Chinese abducted as Boko Haram moves to seize Shiroro power station

Boko Haram insurgents on a mission to seize the power station in Shiroro, one of Nigeria’s electricity facilities, in Niger State, have killed at least 17 security personnel and abducted four Chinese expatriate workers, according to government officials and local sources.

According to government officials and local sources, the attack which occurred on Wednesday evening, left the community devastated, as residents fled the area in droves, in order to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The sources said at least 17 soldiers and police officers were killed, while four Chinese workers were seized during the assault by the insurgents.

Reacting via a statement, the state government said reinforcement was dispatched to the scene, but no further details could be provided as of Thursday morning.

Ajata Aboki village, where the incident occurred in Shiroro local government area, is about 200 kilometres north-west of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Boko Haram fighters have made repeated attempts to seize the facility, which contributes about 620 megawatts to the national electricity grid, since last year.

“The Boko Haram terrorists tried to take over Shiroro station again and on their way, they met resistance from our men and left many of them killed”, a security source told newsmen yesterday.

“We have been receiving reports that the situation might be worse than we know right now”, the source added.

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