By Gbenga Abulude (Politics & General Desk)
15 security personnel, on Friday were reportedly killed by terrorists in an ambush on the convoy of the Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum.
According to a source , 8 policemen, 3 soldiers, and 4 members of the government-backed militia allegedly died in the attack on vehicles carrying Zulum near the town of Baga on the shores of Lake Chad.
The insurgents opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades as the convoy was passing through a village close to the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force, a military coalition of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
Read also: We ‘ll Revenge Boko Haram’s Attack On UN Helicopter, Buhari Blows Hot
The source said, “the governor escaped unhurt but 15 security men on the convoy were killed in a fierce battle with the terrorists”.
Zulum was on an assessment tour of Baga in preparation for the return of thousands of residents displaced from the town by the terrorists in 2014.
The governor flew on a helicopter into the garrison town of Monguno, 60 kilometres away and headed to Baga in a convoy under tight security, one of the sources said.
The militant group has recently intensified attacks on military and civilian targets in the region.
In July, Zulum’s convoy came under gun attack from ISWAP outside Baga, forcing him to cancel his trip to the town.
Last week the group killed a Nigerian army commander, Col Bako along with three soldiers in an ambush near the town of Damboa.
Read also: Soldiers Kill Benue’s ‘Most Wanted Criminal,’ Gana
Civilians plying highway linking Monguno and the regional capital Maiduguri said the jihadists set up daily checkpoints, robbing, killing and abducting passengers.
The decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria has reportedly killed about 36,000 people and forced over 2 million from their homes.
Last week Zulum said feeding the displaced was not financially sustainable, insisting the only option was for them to return and rebuild their homes and live a “dignified” life.
