Bomb blasts and gun battle reported in Damaturu, Yobe State

Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, has come under a siege today following heavy gunfire and bomb blasts as soldiers attached to the Joint Task Force on Operation Restore Order engage suspected Boko Haram fighters in a bloody duel. The gun battle began around 5p.m as JTF troops moved to dislodge the deadly sect from the city.
The fighting is raging mainly in Sabon Pegi and New Jerusalem areas.

One of the battle fronts is near the residence of the state governor, Ibrahim Geidam.
JTF and Boko Haram have been engaged in deadly clashes in Maiduguri, the capital of neighbouring Borno State, for some weeks now. (Punch)