Security personnel escorting the convoy of Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, successfully disrupted a Boko Haram operation near Gujba town in Yobe State.
The incident occurred along the Damaturu–Biu highway as the convoy was returning from Biu, where Governor Zulum had earlier commissioned projects in Biu and Hawul Local Government Areas.
Reports indicate that Governor Zulum had left the convoy for an urgent official engagement in Maiduguri, leaving other top government officials to continue the journey back to the state capital. Along the way, the convoy encountered armed insurgents attempting to abduct travelers on the highway.
The security team quickly engaged the terrorists, forcing them to flee. In the process, they recovered a loaded rifle, an abandoned motorcycle, and successfully rescued some kidnapped victims.
A driver among those rescued, Malum Ari, described the terrifying experience. “They collected the car key and asked the passengers to lay on the ground with their faces down. Luckily enough, they sighted the convoy, which greeted them with a ‘heavy fire’ and forced them to retreat.”
He noted that the attackers were over twenty men armed with rifles. “One of them even cooked his rifle to scare me, but the terrorist was so scared upon sighting the convoy. He fell on the ground twice before he finally jumped on another motorcycle to escape. You are sent by God to rescue us from the terrorists,” Ari said.
Another passenger reported that Boko Haram attacks on the highway had become a daily occurrence. “They always block the road in broad daylight,” he said.
This latest incident happened just three days after Boko Haram fighters attacked Gujba town, killing a 32-year-old vigilante, Modu Bulama. The insurgents also set fire to shops and residential buildings. Witnesses noted that the attackers went from house to house, searching for vigilante members before killing Bulama as he attempted to escape.
“It is a shame that gunmen will have the affront to attack towns and the highway unchallenged. We are in trouble,” another resident lamented.
Additionally, Boko Haram insurgents recently stormed the home of a police inspector, Malam Jibrin, in Buni Yadi town, Gujba LGA. During the attack, they killed his two sons, set their corpses on fire, and burned down his house. Jibrin, who serves as the crime officer at the Buni Yadi police station, managed to escape by scaling his fence.
The region has witnessed repeated attacks in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, the terrorists abducted Professor Abubakar Eljuma of the Nigeria Army University Biu (NAUB), along with other passengers on the same highway.
In a separate incident, a Borno State High Court judge, Justice Haruna Mshelia, was kidnapped alongside his wife, orderly, and driver. While Mshelia was later released after a ransom was paid, the kidnappers demanded an additional $500,000 for the release of his wife and others.
