ABUJA, May 17 (Reuters) – At least 17 police officers were killed in Nigeria’s northeastern Yobe state after suspected Islamic militants attacked a specialized military school that also trains police officers, the national police spokesman said late on Saturday.
Nigeria has been fighting an Islamic insurgency in the country’s northeast for more than 18 years.
The 17 police officers were killed on Friday during an attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Yobe state, police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid said in a statement.
“The officers, who were undergoing specialized 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, although he did not give a number of military casualties.
The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Violence in northeastern Nigeria began with the Boko Haram uprising in 2009. The militant group later split, giving rise to the Islamic State’s West Africa Province, which intensified attacks on military bases and security personnel.
