Two soldiers and a nine-year-old boy were killed on Thursday night when insurgents launched coordinated raids on military and police formations in Banki, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.

The attack, which occurred around 10:15 pm, targeted the Bula Yobe forward operating base, the 152 Battalion, and the divisional police headquarters in Banki.

According to counter-insurgency publication Zagazola Makama, the insurgents also set three military vehicles ablaze during the assault.

Troops reportedly called in air support after coming under heavy fire. Guided by intelligence and surveillance, two A-29 Super Tucano aircraft were deployed and carried out multiple strikes on the fleeing insurgents.

The airstrikes killed no fewer than 32 members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The bodies of the fallen soldiers have been moved to Maiduguri, while the remains of the boy, identified as Ismail Abubakar, were handed over to his family for burial.

Makama added that additional reinforcements had since been dispatched to Banki and the surrounding areas to prevent further incursions.

In other news, a powerful explosion on Saturday shook the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) factory in the Kakuri Industrial Layout of Kaduna State, leaving one person dead and several others injured.

The blast, whose cause is yet to be determined, was reportedly heard across several parts of the city, particularly in communities within Chikun and Kaduna South local government areas.