The Borno State Police Command has confirmed an attack on the convoy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Mustapha Gubio.
The incident occurred on Thursday along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway in northern Borno State.
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Keneth Daso, confirmed the attack in an interview on Friday.
According to Daso, the convoy came under heavy attack near Kareto community at about 2:30pm.
He said a combined security team quickly responded to the attack and repelled the assailants.
The team, according to the police, comprised personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services, Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilante groups.
Daso said the attackers ambushed the convoy using planted improvised explosive devices.
He added that the assailants also fired several rocket-propelled grenades at the convoy during the encounter.
The police spokesperson said no civilian or security personnel was killed in the attack. He described the security response as swift, adding that the attackers were successfully repelled.
The convoy was reportedly returning from Damasak to Maiduguri when the incident occurred.
Gubio and members of his entourage had travelled to Damasak for a thank-you visit to APC supporters.
The visit followed his emergence as the party’s consensus governorship candidate during its most recent primary election.
Damasak, located about 156 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, has experienced previous attacks linked to Boko Haram insurgents.
Meanwhile, sources told Vanguard that a police armoured vehicle attached to the convoy was damaged during the confrontation.
The latest incident comes amid continuing security concerns in parts of northern Borno, where attacks by insurgent groups have remained a major challenge.
The police command has not reported any fatalities from Thursday’s incident.
Further details about the extent of damage to vehicles or the identity of the attackers were not immediately provided.
