Boko Haram seized police academy - Islamist insurgents have taken over a law enforcement school in Gwoza, Nigeria, ravaging the facility in numerous motorcycles and armored tanks taken from Nigerian soldiers.
The attack on the Liman Kara police college dubbed as the Boko Haram seized police academy, was confirmed by a local police spokesman, UPI reported. A senior security source also added that communication with the academy has been unavailable since Wednesday.
Shots were reportedly heard following the militants' arrival at the five unit-training school with an estimated 60 trainees.
Although an exact figure for casualties could not be determined, New York-based news website Sahara Reporters has learned that many trainees were killed or injured, while some had managed to escape.
Liman Kara locals told BBC Hausa service that police trainees were seen running from the college following the Boko Haram seized police academy intrusion that started Wednesday dawn.
The Boko Haram insurgents reportedly gained entry by blowing off an armored tank stationed at the entrance to the school. Hundreds of militants then stormed the academy, that houses a variety of weapons.
Just two weeks prior the Boko Haram seized police academy incident, the militants already took control of the town of Gwoza, with a population of almost 50,000. The town's traditional leader and other residents are said to have fled the Boko Haram advance. The Liman Kara police college was one of the few government establishments not under their control before the take over.
The Nigerian military have since attempted to recover the town, however, its inadequate weapons and resources didn't stand a chance to that of the Boko Haram's.
The Boko Haram seized police academy is just among the many attacks made by the Islamist movement since it launched the 2009 terrorism campaign in Nigeria, in an effort to create a Muslim state while denying Western-style education. Thousands of casualties (mostly in northeastern Nigeria) have already been reported since then.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
