The police in Kano State have provided details of the gun battle with Boko Haram suspects in the state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the duel, which led to the arrest of five people. Three of those arrested were among the gunmen while the other two women are believed to be wives of the suspects.
A special police task force set up by the Inspector General of Police led the battle that led to the arrest.
The Kano State Police Commissioner, Rabiu Yusuf, told journalists that the battle occurred at about 2 a.m. on Sunday at Gaya in Ungogo Local Government Area.
Mr. Yusuf said the police have been gathering intelligence on the suspects for a while. He said they were among Boko Haram members who escaped from Sambisa forest in Borno when the military took over most part of that large swath of land which used to be the base of the terror group.
The commissioner noted two members of the terror group had been arrested earlier. It was those two that took the police to Gaya, where the gun battle took place.
He said the gunmen were led by a dismissed military officer who was training the others. He said the suspect threw an improvised explosive device, IED, at the police and started to shoot before the police fought back. The leader, however, escaped at the heat of the battle, he said.
"The police came under attack by the terrorists group at their location but were overpowered by the tactical task force. Three police officers sustained injuries and three of the Boko Haram gunned down."
One of the three police officers injured during the battle has been discharged from the hospital after treatment.
Mr. Yusuf said the arrested suspects included Abba Muhammad of Niger Republic, 20; Usman Buhari from Borno, 22; and Illiyasu Abdullahi from Kano, 46.
The two arrested women are Gezawa Yau and Ladidi Yunusa.
Items recovered according to the police commissioner included an AK47 rifle, 49 rounds of ammunition, IEDs, two sets of Air Force uniforms, one military boot, one laptop, one iPad, and some pictures of the suspects wearing military uniform.
The police chief called on Kano residents to keep providing information to the police on suspected criminals.
He assured that the police and other security agencies will ensure that the Boko Haram terrorists who escaped from Sambisa forest find no resting place.
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