Former Senate Armed Forces Committee Chairman Ali Ndume has denied claims that his convoy was attacked by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
He explained that he was not the target of the attack.
The senator representing Borno South and Gwoza senatorial district was at his Maiduguri residence after returning from paying condolences to the families of those recently killed by terrorists in Goshe, Kirawa, Asigashiya and other communities in Gwoza Local Government Area. I gave a lecture at
He disclosed that a Cameroonian currency exchange and businessman (Alhaji Kadi) was targeted in an ambush on Kilawa Road, where he was killed along with an unidentified woman and others were injured.
The lawmaker lamented that Nigeria’s military is poorly equipped and lacks the means to combat Boko Haram and banditry.
Mr. Ndume said: “On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the humble myself and other officials, together with a military convoy, traveled to Goshe to pay our condolences to the families of those killed by terrorists, and then… They were on their way to Kilawa when they received a distress call stating that a Cameroonian soldier and his driver had been ambushed along the road connecting Pulka and Kilawa.
“After expressing our condolences to the people of Goshe, we gathered courage and headed towards Kilawa despite a road attack by terrorists on the same day. We reached Kilawa safely. We also expressed our condolences to the families of those killed by the terrorists last week. We encouraged residents not to panic and to be resilient against new Boko Haram attacks. ”
He further said, “As a senator representing southern Borno and Gwoza, I had been planning to go to Ngoshe and Kirawa to pay my condolences.As the road to Kirawa was impassable at that time, I We could only go as far as Ngoshe. So, as I told you when we left yesterday, the theater commander and the GOC 7th Division instructed the brigade commander in Gwoza, and the brigade commander I personally led the escort team.
“It has been a long time since I have been under such heavy military escort from Maiduguri to Goshe.On my way to Ngoshe, I arrived at a village called Witsa, where there is a junction to Kirawa.For better or worse, Cameroonian soldiers from Kirawa I received information that I had been ambushed by terrorists, but the target was not me, but the people they had killed, including an unidentified woman.However, Tuesday was a market day in Kilawa, so I fell victim to the ambush. I heard that there were other passengers as well.
“We strongly suspect that some persons are colluding with Boko Haram and passing information to the terrorists. However, the Nigerian military has sent reinforcement teams and the detonation of bombs planted by the terrorists has led to military patrols. We cleared the entire area, even though two vehicles were damaged.We bravely visited Kirawa immediately after the attack to encourage the people to stand up to Boko Haram. We used this visit to lay the foundation for the construction of two blocks of classrooms in Kirawa and are now back in Maiduguri safe and sound.
