Borno governor’s convoy attacked on way to a community

Boko Haram fighters on Saturday attacked the convoy of Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum while on his way Malami Fatori, a Northern town of the State.

The fire attack forced the governor to a retreat, according to military sources made a available to Reuters on Saturday.

The attack has heightened tension in Borno State, if it would be safe to send IDPs back to their towns.

The State governor has earlier promised to send the internally displaced persons back to their villages, believing that insecurity has been curtailed to a large extent.

Reuters reported saying: “Troops battled for nearly an hour,” one military source said, adding that all those in the convoy laid on the ground during the fighting.

Malam Fatori sits near the border with neighbouring Niger.

Spokespeople for Zulum and for the military did not respond to requests for comment.

Zulum said earlier this month that he would shut the camps that hold thousands of internally displaced persons in the state capital, Maiduguri, by the end of the year, citing improved security.

Borno state is the centre of Nigeria’s 12-year battle against Islamist insurgents, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province. The fighting has killed nearly 350,000 people and displaced millions more, according to United Nations Development Programme estimates.