Boko Haram members raid highway, burn vehicles, abduct drivers

The militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram, on Monday razed down two trucks loaded with oranges and a Toyota Hilux vehicles, and abducted their drivers.


This latest attack came about 24 hours after some suspected members of the deadly sect ambushed motorists on Gwoza- Firgi- Ngurosoya federal highway in Borno State, killing five passengers including one person who was on his way to Maiduguri to attend his brother’s wedding.

It was gathered that the latest attack occurred few kilometres away from Limanti/ Bullabulin Ngarwa communities where series of deadly road attacks masterminded by Boko Haram sect had taken place in recent times.

Speaking to journalists in Maiduguri, a commercial driver who narrowly escaped been caught up in the attack, Mallam Musa Usman, said the sect took to the highway at about 9am.

He said some suspected members of the notorious sect were seen driving from their hideout in the Sambisa Game Forest into the highway and on getting to the highway barricaded the road. “They set ablaze three vehicles including a truck loaded with oranges,” he said.

Usman added that when he reached the scene, he saw the terrorists forcefully ordering the abducted drivers into their vehicles, which made him to make an immediate U-turn to Maiduguri.

“I have to thank God for sparing my life with two of my children. I was taking them to Biu for the Christmas Holiday after finishing their exams last week, and all of a sudden, after passing two security checkpoints, I sighted an unusual happenings along the road, just some few metres to the scene. I immediately put my vehicle into reverse gear, before making a u-turn back to Maiduguri,” he said.

A passenger, Mallam Salisu Yahaya, who came from Biu to Maiduguri on the same day, told journalists that he saw three vehicles including a truck loaded with bags of oranges being burnt, while none of the owners was present at the scene.

Spokesperson of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Col. Mohammed Dole, said he had not been briefed about the incident.