At least 35 people were killed, most of them Islamist extremists, in clashes between Nigerian army and members of radical group Boko Haram in the country’s northeastern Borno state.

Military spokesman Sagir Musa said 32 militants were killed and two soldiers and a policeman lost their lives during the clashes.

“Our troops successfully repelled Boko Haram terrorists who tried to attack a police base on Sunday,” he said yesterday.

He said a military base in Malam Fatori town came under attack from the militants and a gun duel ensued.

The oil-rich African country’s President Goodluck Jonathan had declared a state of emergency in three states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, four years after militant group Boko Haram declared war on the Nigerian state.

The group’s aim is to establish and Islamic caliphate in the country and more than 2,000 persons have died since it commenced killings and bombings mostly in the northern part of the country.

Nigeria’s 150 million people is evenly distributed among Christians and Muslims.