Boko haram attacks police post in Gombe. Many reported dead

The Boko Haram sect late yesterday launched simultaneous attack on two police posts in Gombe leaving a number of people dead. According to some residents, the gunmen, who came around 8.30pm, threw explosives at a police post in central Gombe and opened fire on the policemen. “They threw explosives and opened fire on the police post in central Gombe. Some of the policemen were inside while others were outside. The explosions were followed by gunfire. There was a shootout between the gunmen and policemen which lasted till 10 pm” said Aliyu, an eye witness. “From a distance, I could see lifeless bodies being loaded into police ambulances,” he said, without being able to give a precise death toll because it was dark. In a subsequent attack, a resident in Bagadaza district on the outskirts of Gombe, Auwal Nasiru, said from his house he heard a loud explosion coming from a nearby police post. “There were a lot of gunshots lasting for more than an hour. I cannot say if anybody was hurt or killed in the attack,” he said. There is no official confirmation of the attacks. Suspected Boko Haram gunmen had in late February launched coordinated gun attacks on Gombe prison and a nearby police station during which 14 people, including policemen, were killed. The police station was reportedly burnt down in the attack.