The Borno State Police Command has confirmed an attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on the convoy of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in the state, Mustapha Gubio.
The attack reportedly occurred on Thursday along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway in northern Borno State.
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, confirmed the incident on Friday, saying the convoy came under heavy attack around Kareto community at about 2:30pm.
According to Daso, the convoy was travelling from Damasak to Maiduguri after Gubio visited APC supporters to thank them for backing his emergence as the party’s consensus governorship candidate.
“Yes, the convoy of the gubernatorial candidate of the APC, Engineer Mustapha Gubio, came under heavy attack around Kareto community at about 2:30pm, but was swiftly repelled by a combined team of our security forces including Police, soldiers, NSCDC, DSS, CTJF and vigilante groups,” Daso said.
He said the attackers reportedly laid an ambush and planted improvised explosive devices along the route, while also firing several rocket-propelled grenades at the convoy.
Daso said the security forces successfully repelled the attackers and that no casualties were recorded among security personnel or civilians.
“The terrorists laid ambush with planted Improvised Explosive Devices targeting the convoy and also fired several Rocket Propelled Grenades but they were repelled with no casualty recorded from the side of the security forces or civilians,” he added.
However, sources told Vanguard that a police armoured vehicle attached to the convoy was damaged during the encounter.
Damasak, located about 156 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, has previously witnessed attacks linked to Boko Haram insurgents.
Security agencies were said to have maintained heightened vigilance along the route following the incident.