Two policemen were killed in a gun attack by Boko Haram terrorists on the convoy of Yobe Governor Mai Mala Buni along Maiduguri- Damaturu Road on Saturday.
The convoy was returning to Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State after the Governor attended the 24th convocation of the University of Maiduguri, Borno State where Vice President Kashim Shettima was conferred with honourary doctorate.
Specifically, the terrorists laid ambush and attacked the convoy between Beneshiekh and Mainok, about 60 kilometres from Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
However, Governor Buni was not in the convoy as he reportedly had flown to Abuja from Maiduguri after attending the convocation ceremony.
The Boko Haram terrorists who reportedly shot at the vehicles from both sides of the expressway targeted the pilot of the convoy but succeeded in killing one policeman instantly, while another policeman who was hit by bullets bled to death before he could get to the hospital, according to an eyewitness.
Others in the convoy were also injured by the gun attack.
An aide to the Governor said: “We narrowly escaped death today. The convoy was attacked between Beneshiekh and Mainok, a distance of less than sixty kilometres to Damaturu after attending the 24th convocation of the University of Maiduguri.
“The insurgents opened fire on the convoy from both sides of the road, killing one policeman instantly while the other died later due to too much bleeding following bullet wounds. As a matter of fact, we left Maiduguri late, around 6.00 pm,” the unnamed aide said.
The attack on Saturday was the first on the convoy of the Yobe State governor since the beginning of the insurgency in the state in 2010.