An unconfirmed report says Borno State government officials survived an ambush when their convoy was attacked by suspected members of the Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, insurgents along the Monguno/Baga axis in the northern part of the state.
Some of the government officials told the media that the incident occurred on Friday, September 25, at about 11:30 am after the Krus Kuwa General area in the Kukawa Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Babagana Zulum was furious over the attack, and despite the Baga attack, he delivered food aid to 80,000 Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, at Monguno. Security sources blamed factions loyal to the ISWAP fighters for the attack.
“It was repelled accordingly, but we suspected the ISWAP are behind the attack on the convoys of state officials on assignment to resettle Baga IDPs to their ancestral homes,” a security source said.
When contacted, one of the officials, who does not want his name in print, said the attack happened some kilometers away from the Multinational Joint Task Force Headquarters in Baga.
Another source said that one of the senior Borno government officials was killed during the attacks while others were injured, and have been evacuated from the scene to Monguno General Hospital.
The government officials were on a trip to Monguno and Baga towns to distribute food to IDPs.
Source from the government official said the convoy came under attack while they were on their way to Baga and Mungono, a deserted fishing community in Kaka Local Government Area of Borno State.
Sources, who spoke and confirmed the development, said the Governor was unhurt as soldiers and police officers guarding the official convoys repelled the assault on the convoy.
It could be recalled that Governor Zulum had sometime in July been attacked around the same axis by the insurgents on his way from Baga.
The Governor’s spokesperson, Isa Gusau, confirmed the development, hinting that he was working on a press statement on the matter.
The casualty figure could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report.