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Justina Otio
Guest
Former chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Ali Ndume, has dismissed 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 Southern Borno and Gwoza senatorial district spoke at his Maiduguri residence after returning from a condolence visit to families of those recently killed by terrorists in Ngoshe, Kirawa, Ashigashiya, and other communities in Gwoza local government area.
He disclosed that the Kirawa road ambush targeted a Cameroonian Bureau De Change/businessman (Alhaji Kadi), who was killed alongside an unidentified woman, while others sustained injuries.
The lawmaker lamented that the Nigerian military is ill-equipped and lacks the wherewithal to end Boko Haram or banditry.
Ndume said, “On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, my humble self and other concerned stakeholders, with a convoy of military escort, were on our way to Ngoshe to condole with families of those who were killed by terrorists before proceeding to Kirawa. On our way, we received a distress call that some Cameroonian soldiers and motorists were ambushed along the Pulka-Kirawa road.
“After condoling with the people of Ngoshe, we took courage and proceeded to Kirawa despite the fact that there was an attack on the road the same day by terrorists. We reached Kirawa successfully, where we also condoled with the families of those killed by terrorists last week. We encouraged residents to be resilient and not to panic over the renewed Boko Haram attacks.”
Speaking further, he said, “As Senator representing Southern Borno and Gwoza inclusive, I had planned earlier to go to Ngoshe and Kirawa for condolence. I could only go to Ngoshe because the road to Kirawa was not accessible then. So, when we left yesterday, as I told you, the Theatre Commander and the GOC 7 Division directed the Brigade Commander in Gwoza, who led the escort team personally.
“It has been a long time since I had such a heavy military escort from Maiduguri to Ngoshe. As we were going to Ngoshe, we got to a village called Wizza, where there is a junction to Kirawa. Unfortunately or fortunately, we received information that the Cameroonian soldiers in Kirawa were ambushed by terrorists, but the target was not me, rather the person they killed, including an unidentified woman. Although I was told that there were other passengers who were victims of the ambush, as Tuesday was a market day in Kirawa.
“I strongly suspect that some individuals are colluding with Boko Haram, passing information to the terrorists. However, the Nigerian Army sent a reinforcement team that cleared the entire area, despite the detonated bombs planted by the terrorists damaging two military patrol vehicles. We took courage and visited Kirawa immediately after the attack to encourage our people to stand up against Boko Haram. I also took advantage of my visit to lay the foundation for two blocks of classrooms in Kirawa, and I am now back in Maiduguri safe and sound.
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