No fewer than six persons were confirmed dead yesterday with several others injured after suspected members of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) planted Improvised Explosive Devices along Gamboru-Ngala road in the Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State.
A humanitarian worker who spoke to newsmen on Tuesday narrated that first incident actually involved a commercial pickup vehicle in which three of its occupants died at the spot.
The source also added that another IED killed later two members of the local vigilantes who arrived at the scene to offer assistance for the injured victims.
Although the military and local authorities have not yet reacted to the attack at the time of filing this report, Africa Daily News, New York gathered that one member of the Civilian Joint Task Force patrolling the Maiduguri-Gamboru Ngala federal highway was also shot dead while one other was injured.
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Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum who re-opened the federal highway last week after three years of shut down, had spent three days with the returnees in Gamboru and Wulgo communities to personally distribute cash, food and non-food items for the returnees.
The Gamboru-to-Maiduguri highway is a strategic 140-kilometre (87-mile) trade route in the region, and provides an important link with neighbouring Cameroon.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that the latest attack is likely to create more fear in the hearts of the returnees who needed more security to go about their economic activities.
The insurgency in Nigeria which has lasted for at least 12 years old has killed more thousands of people since 2009 and displaced million others from their homes.
Governor Zulum had last week predicted that the insurgency would not go beyond 2023 before it is finally brought to an end.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
