Gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram terrorists on Thursday attacked the convoy of Mr. Mustapha Gubio, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Borno State.
Sources according to Vanguard said the incident occured along the Gubio-Karote-Damasak highway in the northern part of the state.
This medium understand that the convoy was en route to Mobbar, headquarters of Damasak Local Government Area, to pay a thank-you visit to members of the APC for their support which led to his emergence as the consensus candidate in the party’s last primary elections.
“The convoy came under heavy attack around Kareto community at about 2:30pm, but was swiftly repelled by a combined team of security escorts, including soldiers, police, NSCDC, DSS, CTJF and vigilante groups”, the source said.
According to an insider who escaped the attack but do not want to be quoted, said: “The incident happened during a thank-you tour by Mustapha Gubio and his team to the northern part of the state.
“It was a terrifying moment for us; we came under heavy attacks by terrorists yesterday.
“The terrorists fired several Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) on our convoy, which also followed by sporadic shooting. Luckily, our security agencies repelled the attacks.
“Police armoured vehicles were damaged, but there was no casualty,” said the source.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Police Force, Mr. Ani Iniedu, confirmed the attack.
He said: “Police tactical operatives successfully counter-engaged suspected terrorists who attacked a convoy along the Kareto–Damasak Road with an IED and rocket-propelled grenades.
“The tactical team forced the terrorists to retreat into the surrounding bush and subsequently scanned and cleared the immediate axis to neutralise secondary explosive threats.
“The convoy, conveying a gubernatorial aspirant, government officials and political stakeholders, was safely evacuated to a secure location with no casualties recorded among members of the entourage.”
