Nigerian army averts deadly attack in Borno State

The Nigerian army on Monday averted a deadly attack in the northeastern state of Borno when troops discovered and destroyed improvised explosive devices and a rocket-making factory, a spokesman said.

Col. Tukur Ismail Gusau, spokesman of the Nigerian army in Borno State, said the items were discovered on the outskirts of Bama town, one of the locations of the Boko Haram terror group.

The operation was made successful by the support of the Nigerian air force which assisted with aerial surveillance of the whole area, the army spokesman said. Most of the items recovered - including large quantity of assorted chemicals and various technical equipment - were suspected to be stolen from laboratories of schools around Bama before they were dislodged from the area, said the spokesman.

The terror group Boko Haram has since 2009 waged a campaign of violence in Nigeria in an effort to establish an Islamic state.

It has killed some 13,000 people and kidnapped hundreds, with surrounding countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon affected.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has given a December deadline for the army to end the Boko Haram insurgency. Endit