Lagos - At least seven people were killed in a firefight in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno State after gunmen ambushed troops deployed in the area, security officials said Friday.
One soldier, a policeman and five gunmen were killed during the Wednesday clash, said a spokesman of the country's joint security forces.
The gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram insurgent group, ambushed the government troops at Marte, which is located about 980 kilometres north-east of the capital Abuja and near the extremists' base in Maiduguri.
An exchange of gunfire ensued and lasted over an hour.
Joint Task Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa said security forces recovered various weapons - including two AK 47
machine guns, ammunitions and four machetes - after the incident.
In a separate clash Thursday, gunmen attacked a police station in north-eastern Adamawa state, killing two soldiers, an elderly woman and her grandson.
The attacks have been blamed on the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, whose violent campaign against the government has killed about 1,400 people since 2010. - Sapa-dpa
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