The convoy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Borno State, Mustapha Gubio, has come under attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway in the state.
Politics Nigeria reports that the incident occurred on Thursday evening as Gubio and members of his entourage were returning to Maiduguri after a thank-you visit to Damasak, a border town in northern Borno located about 190 kilometres from the state capital.
A security source told newsmen that the attackers planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) along the highway before attempting to ambush the convoy.
According to the source, a police armoured vehicle leading the convoy triggered one of the explosives, resulting in a powerful blast that severely damaged the vehicle.
“We entered Damasak safely and spent about 40 minutes there. On our way back, the insurgents planted mines on the road, and the armoured vehicle that led the convoy drove over it and exploded,” the source was quoted as saying.
The explosion was subsequently followed by an attempted attack on the convoy, prompting security personnel to take defensive positions and engage the insurgents.
It was reported that personnel from the military, police and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) responded swiftly and exchanged gunfire with the attackers.
“We had to park and take positions, waiting for the remaining vehicles in the convoy to arrive. In the course of waiting, we noticed the movement of the insurgents and swiftly engaged them,” the source added.
The combined security team reportedly succeeded in repelling the attackers and preventing further damage to the main convoy.
However, the police armoured vehicle that detonated the explosive sustained extensive damage.
The Gubio-Kareto-Damasak corridor has remained one of the most dangerous routes in Borno State due to persistent insurgent activities and the threat of roadside explosives.
The route is strategically significant because of its proximity to areas used by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters for movement and logistics, particularly around the Lake Chad Basin.
Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Task Force North-East, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), have recovered additional items believed to belong to Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists following a recent encounter with insurgents in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Acting Military Information Officer of the theatre command, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the recovery was made on September 2 during exploitation operations in the Alagarno axis, northeast of Kukawa.
Among the items recovered were motorcycles, three blankets, a jackknife, an extra-large prayer mat, cups, tea-making materials, a rope, a head warmer and a pair of trousers bearing bloodstains.
Goni said the bloodstained clothing and abandoned personal effects provided further indications that some of the fleeing terrorists sustained injuries during the earlier confrontation with troops.
He explained that the recovery followed the successful repulsion of an attack on troops in Kukawa, during which coordinated ground and air operations inflicted losses on the insurgents and disrupted their withdrawal.
According to him, troops have continued clearance and exploitation operations across the area to prevent the terrorists from regrouping and restrict their freedom of movement.
The theatre command maintained that security forces would sustain pressure on terrorist groups operating in the region as part of ongoing efforts to consolidate security gains and restore lasting peace across the North-East.