Nigeria, March 7 -- Nigerian soldiers on Sunday morning stopped traffic along the Maiduguri-Damaturu highway for three hours as they engaged Boko Haram terrorists in a shootout.

After the shootout, the military said soldiers escorted a long convoy of stranded travellers to Damaturu.

Security sources said the shootout took place at Lawan-Mainari village, about two kilometres from Jakana town. The terrorists had reportedly targetted a military base but were repelled.

Jakana is about 41km from Maiduguri, Borno State capital. The town has been attacked several times in the last 10 years.

Confirming the development to our reporter, Bukar Adam, a local security operative who lives in Jakana, said the soldiers halted movement on the highway ...