ABUJA, 17 May. - (ANA) - At least 17 police officers were killed in Nigeria’s northeast Yobe state after suspected militants attacked ​a specialised military school that also trains police officers, ‌the national police spokesman said late on Saturday.

 

The 17 police ​officers were killed on Friday during an attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School at Buni Yadi in Yobe state, police spokesman Anthony Okon Placid ​said in a statement.

 

“The officers, who were undergoing specialised 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, though he did not give a figure for military casualties.

 

The Nigerian military did not immediately respond to a request ​for comment.

 

The violence ​in Nigeria's northeast ⁠began with Boko Haram’s uprising in 2009. The militant group later splintered, giving rise to the ​offshoot the Islamic State West Africa Province, which has ​intensified ⁠attacks on military bases and security personnel.

 

Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whose killing in a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation was confirmed by Trump and Tinubu, was a ⁠senior ​commander of ISWAP.

 

The Nigerian government has established ​specialised military institutions, such as the training school that was attacked, to try to ​tackle the terrorist threat.   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/17 May 2026 - - -