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Suspected terrorists on Thursday attacked the convoy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Borno State, Mustapha Gubio, along the Kareto-Damasak Road, with improvised explosive devices (IED) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).
The attack occurred at about 2:30pm as Gubio and his entourage travelled to Damasak during an appreciation tour of northern Borno. Police authorities said no member of the convoy was killed, while security operatives successfully repelled the attackers.
The spokesman for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident on Friday, identifying the attackers as suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. He said the assailants may have escaped with a gunshot injury after the security forces engaged them.
“Yesterday (Thursday) around 2:30pm, the convoy of the APC gubernatorial candidate was attacked along Kareto by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. No lives were lost,” Daso said.
He added that the attack did not stop the convoy from continuing its journey. “After the incident, the convoy proceeded,” he stressed.
In a separate statement, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the convoy included the governorship candidate, government officials and other political stakeholders. He said police tactical operatives counter-engaged the attackers after they launched the assault with an IED and RPGs, forcing them to retreat into the surrounding bush.
Hundeyin said security personnel subsequently scanned and cleared the area to prevent a secondary explosive attack before safely evacuating the convoy to a secure location. “They were safely evacuated to a secure location with no casualties recorded among members of the entourage,” he said.
A source in the convoy, who spoke anonymously, said the attack was brief but had the potential to cause casualties without the intervention of security personnel. The source confirmed that the attackers used an IED and RPGs, adding that the security team overpowered them before the convoy resumed its journey to Damasak.
