The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for governor of Borno State, Mustapha Gubio, came under attack by suspected terrorists on Thursday along the Kareto-Damasak Road. The attackers used rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Mustapha Gubio and his team were on an appreciation tour of northern Borno when the attackers struck around 2:30 p.m. in Damasak. Police said no one in the convoy died and security personnel successfully repelled the attackers.
Borno State Police Command spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso identified the attackers as suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. He confirmed the incident on Friday and said the attackers may have fled after security personnel engaged them, with one possibly sustaining a gunshot wound.
“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.
Additionally, he stated that the attack did not stop the convoy from continuing its journey. “After the incident, the convoy proceeded,” he stressed.
According to a separate statement by Force Public Relations Officer CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the convoy included the gubernatorial candidate, government representatives and other political stakeholders.
Hundeyin said the militants launched the attack with an IED and RPGs, prompting police tactical teams to engage them and force them to flee into a nearby bush.
He said security forces searched and cleared the area to prevent a secondary explosive attack before safely evacuating the convoy to a secure location.
“No casualties were recorded among members of the entourage,” Hundeyin said.
Backstory…
The incident comes just few weeks after a similar explosion occurred in Borno State. Earlier in July, sources revealed that an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded after a passenger vehicle struck it along the Komala village axis in Konduga Local Government Area of the State, killing one person and injuring nine others.
Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counter-insurgency specialist in the Lake Chad region, revealed this on Friday via his X handle.
Police sources told Makama that the incident happened on July 2 at around 1:30 p.m. while the caravan, driven by Isa Uba, was going from Maiduguri to Damboa.
