By Afolayan Sunday
The Borno State Police Command has officially confirmed a coordinated attack by Boko Haram terrorists on the convoy of Mustapha Gubio, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Borno State.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, highlights the persistent security vulnerabilities facing political figures along major routes in Nigeria’s northeast.
According to police reports and local sources, the ambush took place at approximately 2:30 PM near the Kareto community along the volatile Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway.
The convoy was traveling back to Maiduguri after visiting Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area.
In an interview with the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Keneth Daso, on Friday said the incident took place along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway in the northern part of the state.
Damasak is about a 156km drive from Maiduguri, which had witnessed a series of Boko Haram attacks.
The convoy was en route from Damasak to Maiduguri after paying a thank-you visit to members of the APC for their support, which led to Gubio’s emergence as the consensus candidate in the party’s last primary elections.
ASP Daso said, “Yes, the convoy of the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Engineer Mustapha Gubio, came under heavy attack around Kareto community at about 2:30pm, but was swiftly repelled by a combined team of our security forces including Police, soldiers, NSCDC, DSS, CTJF and vigilante groups.”
He continued, “The terrorists laid an ambush with planted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) targeting the convoy and also fired several Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), but they were repelled with no casualties recorded on the side of the security forces or civilians.”
Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered from sources that a Police armoured vehicle in the convoy was damaged during the encounter.
