13 February 2019•Update: 14 February 2019
By Olarewaju Kola
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria
Boko Haram insurgents attacked the campaign convoy of the governor of Nigeria's northeast Borno State, security sources said Wednesday.
Early Wednesday the insurgents ambushed Governor Kashim Shettima’s convoy near the border with Cameroon while campaigning ahead of Saturday’s presidential and parliamentary elections in the volatile region.
"The governor was going to Gamboru from Dikwa to campaign when Boko Haram ambushed and opened fired on the long convoy," a security source at the governor's office told Anadolu Agency in Maiduguri, the provincial capital, on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Five people were feared dead, according to the source.
"Some of the vehicles at the end of the convoy were targeted," an official said.
Over a dozen young soldiers supporting the military’s fight against Boko Haram were also in the convoy targeted by the insurgents.
The military declined to comment on the incident.
The governor has yet to return to the capital after the incident. Due to the lack of phones in the area, reports of the attack came to the capital this evening.
The attack came just days before the country’s general elections amid fears of security challenges.
