Five soldiers were killed when gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram insurgents ambushed a military convoy on Saturday.
AFP reports that 35 civilians were also kidnapped by the insurgent in another attack on Sunday.
“..the convoy was hit in northeast Borno state on Saturday, and militants also attacked a transport convoy in the same region a day before, kidnapping 35 people and killing one woman.” the report said.
More than 30, 000 people have been reportedly killed by the insurgents since 2009 while not fewer than eleven vicious attacks have been carried by the group in the year 2020 alone.
On 28 November 2020, about 110 rice farmers in Zabarmari, were killed by the Boko Haram militants while the factional leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, in an audio message ‘claimed’ responsibility for the recent abduction of 330 students of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara, Katsina State.
The Attack
Saturday’s attack on the military convoy took place outside of Mafa, 44 kilometres (27 miles) north of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
“The terrorists fired an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) on the convoy which hit one of the vehicles with five soldiers in it,” one security source said.
The insurgents seized two vehicles in the attack, said a second source who gave the same toll.
ISWAP split from the mainstream Boko Haram six years ago and has been reported to be the dominant group.
The jihadist group focuses on military targets, raiding bases, ambushing troops and planting mines on the roads, but recently they have been attacking and abducting civilians.
It was reported that 35 people were kidnapped late Friday by ISWAP militants at a fake checkpoint in Garin Kuturu village outside Jakana, 25 kilometres from Maiduguri.
“The ISWAP terrorists who were dressed in military uniform stopped the vehicles… Some of the passengers fled into the bush while 35 were taken hostage,” a pro-government militia official said.
A woman was shot dead and several others were injured when the militants opened fire on those fleeing into the bush, he said.
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