30 killed as ISWAP ambushes Borno officials

Gunmen suspected to be a faction of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) yesterday ambushed and killed about 30 people, including 17 security personnel on the convoy of the Borno State government officials along Monguno/ Baga axis in Borno State, sources said.

Daily Trust Saturday learnt that the incident occurred at about 11:30 am in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. Dozens were also injured.

The attacked officials, according to sources, were heading to Baga town ahead of government’s planned return of internally displaced persons from Maiduguri.

A security source said the details from the ambush were alarming.

“A total of 12 policemen have been confirmed dead, five soldiers equally lost their lives, 13 civilians including four members of the civilian JTF were killed and the terrorists seized one APC police armoured car, one gun truck belonging to the military and six utility vehicles belonging to the state government,” a security source said.

It was gathered from security sources that a faction of ISWAP fighters was behind the attack.

“It was repelled accordingly but we suspect ISWAP is behind the attack,” a source said.

Another source said the attack took place some kilometers from the Multinational Joint Task Force headquarters in Baga, although the injured persons have been evacuated from the scene to the Monguno General Hospital.

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, who was expected to supervise the arrival of the IDPs at Baga, had left Maiduguri earlier in the day via a military helicopter.

The state government and security agencies whose personnel were affected were yet to officially issue comment on the attack before press time last night.