17 officers feared dead as terrorists attack Nigerian military school

The Police spokesman, Anthony Okon Placid, made this known in a statement that the 17 police officers were killed on Friday during an attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School at Buni Yadi in Yobe state.

“The officers, who were undergoing specialised operational training at the institution, lost their lives when the militants launched a coordinated ‌attack on the facility from multiple directions,” Placid said.

He said several soldiers were also killed, though he did not give a figure for military casualties.

​Meanwhile, the global second-in-command of ISIS was killed during an operation by U.S. and Nigerian forces early Saturday, according to U.S. President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whose killing in a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation was confirmed by Trump and Tinubu, was a senior commander of ISWAP.

In a statement issued from the State House on Saturday, President Tinubu described the operation as a major success in the ongoing war against terrorism and praised the collaboration between the armed forces of both countries.​

According to the President, the overnight mission was jointly executed by the Nigerian Armed Forces and the United States Armed Forces, resulting in the elimination of Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, alongside several of his lieutenants.

“Overnight, Nigeria and the United States recorded a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism,” Tinubu said.

The President stated that the operation dealt “a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” adding that early intelligence assessments confirmed the death of the wanted terrorist leader during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.

“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” the statement read.

“Early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.”