Security personnel attached to the convoy of Borno State governor, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum have intercepted a Boko Haram operation close to Gujba town, along Damaturu – Biu road in Yobe state.
The personnel also recovered a rifle loaded with ammunition, a motorcycle abandoned by the fleeing terrorists, and rescued some kidnapped travellers.
Our correspondent reports that the incident happened around 4:48pm, when the convoy was returning from Biu where Mr Zulum commissioned some projects in Biu and Hawul LGAs.
Earlier, Governor Zulum alighted from the convoy to attend urgent official engagement in Maiduguri, leaving top government dignitaries to lead the contingent back to the state capital.
The rescued driver, Malum Ari, told our correspondent how the insurgents armed with rifles blocked the highway and seized his Volkswagen golf, forcing the passengers to lie down.
“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.”
“They were over twenty men armed with rifles. One of them even cooked his riffle 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,” said Ari.
One of the passengers said Boko Haram attacks have become daily occurrence on the highway.
“They always block the road in broad daylight,”.
The attack came barely three days after the insurgents laid siege to the Gujba town, killing a 32-year-old vigilante, Modu Bulama, and setting ablaze shops and other residential buildings.
“The insurgents moved from house to house, searching for vigilante members before killing Modu 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,” he said.
Also, the Boko Haram terrorists had attacked the home of a police inspector, Malam Jibrin, in Buni Yadi town, Gujba LGA, killing his two sons and setting their corpses and the house on fire.
The attack occurred eight days ago in Shuwari Baban Layi area of the town.
Jibrin, who serves as the crime officer at the Buni Yadi police station, managed to escape by scaling the fence of his house.
Also, two weeks ago, the terrorists abducted a Professor Abubakar Eljuma of the Nigeria Army University Biu (NAUB) and other passengers on the same highway.
In a similar circumstance, a high court judge of Borno State, Justice Haruns Mshelia, was abducted alongside his wife, orderly and driver, on the same road.
Mshelia was later released after a huge ransom was paid with a promise to return home and arrange $500,000 for his wife, orderly and driver’s release.
