Gunmen this morning stormed Tafawa Balewa town in Bauchi State, in a convoy of 18 Hilux vehicles and started firing sporadically in different directions. The attack took place at about 07:30 a.m., DSP Haruna Mohammed, Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, said.

While DSP Mohammed described the gunmen as “unknown,” indications are that they are members of the Boko Haram terrorist group. Boko Haram has repeatedly attacked Tafawa Balewa.

According to DSP Mohammed, “Joint Police and local vigilante group in the town who got wind of the approaching hoodlums engaged them into a fierce gun battle which forced them to abandon four Hilux vehicles mounted with anti-aircraft machine guns and retreated back towards Bununu after sustaining heavy casualties.

“However, rampaging youth in the town numbering over 3,000 burnt down four corpses of the attackers and the recovered Hilux vehicles. Two empty shells of 12.7mm ammunition of AA were recovered at the scene.

“Meanwhile, same hoodlums went back to Jitar village in Bauchi LGA and killed three male vigilante members of Jitar village.

“Police detectives attached to Township Division visited the scene and evacuated the victims to the ATBU Teaching Hospital Bauchi for postmortem examination. The entire surrounding has been cordoned off by combined security forces and intensive patrol is ongoing to flush out fleeing miscreants.”

•Photo shows a burning vehicle after a terrorist attack.