GOVERNOR of Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum escaped death by the whiskers on Friday when terrorists suspected to be members of Islamic State group opened fire on his convoy killing eight policemen and three solders.
Zulum’s convoy was passing through a village close to the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force, a military coalition of troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon when the insurgents opened fire with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
An authoritative source reported that, “The governor escaped unhurt but 15 security men on the convoy were killed in a fierce battle with the terrorists.”
Zulum was reported to be on an assessment tour of Baga in preparation for the return of thousands of residents displaced from the town by the jihadists in 2014, when he was attacked.
The governor flew on a helicopter into the garrison town of Monguno, 60 kilometres (40 miles) away, and headed to Baga in a convoy under tight security, one of the sources said.
IS-affiliated Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group maintains most of its camps on islands in Lake Chad and the region is known as a bastion for the jihadists.
