Reports on the engagement between Nigerian troops and Boko Haram elements in Rann of KalaBalge Local Government Area of Borno State left a top Boko Haram commander dead.

The Boko Haram Commander named Abatcha was gunned down on Saturday during an encounter with troops of the Nigerian Army.

Rann, the headquarters of KalaBalge Local Government is about 350km from Maiduguri and bordered the Chad Republic.

Residents of KalaBalge also said five soldiers were killed.

“We saw the soldiers carrying corpses of five fallen colleagues after the encounter on Saturday,” One of the leaders of the community using Orange network informed newsmen in Maiduguri.

According to him, many of the insurgents also died in the battle that lasted several hours.

“The militants withdrew after ”Abatcha’ a top commander was hit, ” He added.

Similarly, the Nigerian Army lost a Commanding Officer and seven soldiers in a battle with the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP militants in Ajiri on Sunday.

Ajiri is a community in Mara Local Government Area of Borno State, which is about 52km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Locals said the battle was fierce as the militants overran the military base and hoisted their flag.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed report says that Boko Haram has announced ceasefire for 10 days to enable Muslims complete the Ramadan fasting and worship.

The insurgents have been fighting almost on a daily basis since the beginning of the Ramadan. Residents in Maiduguri, however, are skeptical about such promise. According to them, Boko Haram has made similar promises before, only to launch deadly attacks.

The insurgency in its eleventh year has displaced over two million people in the northeast region. Over 37,000 people were also said to have been killed since the conflict began in 2009.