SUSPECTED Boko Haram insurgents have ambushed the convoy of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Borno State, Mustapha Gubio.
According to a report by Daily Trust, the incident occurred Thursday evening when Gubio and his entourage were returning to Maiduguri after a thank-you visit to Damasak, a border town in northern Borno, located about 190 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital.
According to a security source cited by the newspaper, the insurgents planted landmines along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway.
The source said police armoured vehicle leading the convoy triggered one of the explosives, causing a blast.
“We entered Damasak safely and spent about 40 minutes there. On our way back, the insurgents planted mines on the road, and the armoured vehicle that led the convoy drove over it and exploded,” the source was quoted to have said.
The explosion was reportedly followed by an attempt by the insurgents to ambush the convoy.
The security source said military personnel, police officers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) responded and engaged the attackers.
According to the source, the security operatives took positions after the blast and opened fire when they noticed the movement of the insurgents.
The attack was reportedly repelled, preventing further damage to the main convoy. However, the police armoured vehicle was said to have sustained severe damage from the explosion.
The ICIR’s attempts to get the reaction of the Borno State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s spokesperson, Nahum Daso, did not respond to calls or messages seeking clarification.
Also, efforts to reach the Borno State chapter of the APC and the party’s national chairman proved abortive as of the time of filing this report.
The ICIR reports that Borno State has remained the epicentre of Nigeria’s more than 15-year-old insurgency, with Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), continuing to attack civilians and security forces despite sustained military operations.
The security situation worsened in parts of the state in 2025, with ISWAP making territorial gains and carrying out attacks on military installations and communities.
IEDs and landmines have remained a major tactic used by the attackers, particularly along roads. In April 2025, an IED suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram or ISWAP exploded on the Maiduguri-Damboa road, killing eight passengers and injuring 11 others. The explosive detonated after a commercial bus travelling from Damboa to Maiduguri drove over it.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M