A combination of air and ground operation on Saturday repelled and pursued Boko Haram terrorists who invaded Gombe and tried to terrorise citizens.

A tweet from Defence Headquarters handle confirmed the attack and the military overcoming it.

“The terrorists attack on Gombe has been repelled. Troops are in pursuit”, the brief tweet stated.

Security sources disclosed that the terrorists are desperately seeking other places to set up camps as they are being pursued from their existing camps in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

In the last few weeks, Boko Haram camps in the northern parts of the states close to the borders with neighbouring countries have been under intense pressure from Nigerian troops in cooperation with troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

Some of the camps have been destroyed. And as they could no longer enter Cameroon and Niger so easily, they are moving southwards, the sources confirmed.

Eye witnesses said the militants attacked soldiers at the security checkpoints at the edge of the town and forced their way into the quarter guard of the 301 Artillery Regiment.

The quarter guard was burned but they could not proceed into the main barracks which is a little far off.

The terrorists were said to have first invaded Dadin Kowa, a town, 40 kilometres away from Gombe but as they approached the state capital, they were engaged from the air and a combination of troops and mobile policemen.

For much of Saturday heavy fighting ensued between members of the sect and the military troop who eventually gained upper-hand forcing the terrorists to flee.