25 aid workers trapped after attack on U.N. base in Nigeria

Jihadists linked to the Islamic State have attacked a UN base and overrun a humanitarian hub in Nigeria, trapping 25 aid workers, security and humanitarian sources said.

Scores of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters invaded the town of Dikwa in Borno State, dislodging troops from the military base and torching the humanitarian hub, a military source said.

“We have 25 staff sheltering in the bunker which is under siege by the militants... but so far no staff has been affected,” a source said.

Military reinforcements, including fighter jets and a helicopter gunship, had been deployed to help repel the attackers, the source said.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres confirmed only that there was a “security incident”, but gave no further details.

Nigeria’s military has battled an insurgency by the Islamist group Boko Haram that has devastated the northeast, killing at least 36,000 people. The ISWAP group split from Boko Haram in 2016.