Nigerian army 'in full control' of northeast town after militant raid

The Nigerian army says it is in "full control" of a northeastern town where hundreds of people were taken hostage by militants.

A splinter group of Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province (or ISWAP) fighters stormed the town of Kukawa on Tuesday and seized hundreds of residents who had only just returned after fleeing their homes for nearly two years, according to locals and militia sources.

"The terrorists on August 18, 2020 attacked troops' location in Kukawa town in Borno state where the attack was vehemently thwarted," defence spokesman John Enenche said in a statement on Thursday.

"The situation in Kukawa is now calm with troops in full control," he said.

There was no clarity on the hostage situation. 

READ MORE: Militants take hundreds hostage in northeast Nigeria town

Intentional act

Kukawa residents had been living in camps in the regional capital Maiduguri, 180 kilometres away, where they fled following a bloody attack in November 2018.

The residents had returned to their homes on August 2 under military escort, on the orders of the state government.

"The attack by the terrorists was... a deliberate attempt to reverse the milestone achievements recorded regarding IDPs {internally displaced persons) in the areas of peacebuilding, reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement efforts by the government," Enenche said.

Three soldiers lost their lives and two were wounded while eight insurgents were killed during the gun battle with the militants, he added.

Nigeria, a no-go area

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state, where the Boko Haram group emerged in 2009.

Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked the town, home to several million people, while large swathes of northeastern Nigeria have become a no-go area because of the presence of militant groups.

Boko Haram is one of the most feared groups and it has gradually spread into neighbouring Cameroon and Chad.

More than 36,000 people have died in fighting since 2009, with more than two million unable to return to their homes, many of them finding some refuge in Maiduguri.