LAGOS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least six Boko Haram militants were killed by Nigerian police in a gunfight as they attempted to take over a community in the northeastern state of Yobe, a police spokesperson said Sunday.

The police engaged the Boko Haram militants in a gunfight on Saturday, as they targeted Babangida town in Tarmuwa local government area of the state, Dungus Abdulkarim, the police spokesperson, told Xinhua in Damaturu, the state capital.

The clash lasted for about three hours, during which some militants escaped with bullet wounds, while a policeman was killed and another injured, he said.

"The terrorists torched a vigilance group vehicle, they also destroyed part of the council secretariat, divisional police station and a military base before they were repelled," he said.

Besides, the attack led to the destruction of some government assets, causing panic among residents, said the spokesperson, noting that mobile policemen have intensified search for the militants in the area.

Boko Haram has been trying to establish an Islamist state in northeastern Nigeria since 2009, extending its attacks to countries in the Lake Chad Basin. Enditem

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