A police officer and three civilians on Monday died in a deadly clash between security forces and Islamic Boko Haram sect in the Nigerian northeast city of Potiskum, in Yobe State, army authority said.

Residents told Xinhua that heavy gunshots which lasted for about three hours were heard in the city till the early hours of Monday, prompting many to remain indoor till midday.

Spokesperson for the military Joint Task Force (JTF) Lieutenant Eli Lazarus told reporters in Damaturu, the state capital, that some terrorists attacked the area command of the Nigeria Police in Potiskum at about 2 a.m. on Monday, saying the JTF sent troops as reinforcement with the police to promptly repel the attack.

Lt Lazarus said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in the area became a victim of the attack, adding that the man later died on the way to the hospital Monday morning.

He told Xinhua that unknown bodies of the Boko Haram attackers were hurriedly taken away by the other militants from the scene of the gun battle.

Potiskum has recently come under serious attacks by gunmen and bombers. Militants of the sect staged an uprising in the northeastern city of Maiduguri in 2009, attacking state institutions including prisons, police stations and schools. More than 1,500 people have been reportedly killed ever since, either in the attacks or clashes with local security forces.