Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The convoy of Mustapha Gubio, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Borno State, came under a coordinated attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on Thursday, September 3, 2026, along the Gubio-Kareto-Damasak highway in northern Borno. The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. as Gubio and his campaign team were returning to Maiduguri after a thank-you visit to APC members in Damasak, the headquarters of Mobbar Local Government Area, following his emergence as the party's consensus candidate.
According to multiple sources, the terrorists planted improvised explosive devices along the highway and launched a combined assault using rocket-propelled grenades and sporadic gunfire. A police armoured vehicle leading the convoy triggered one of the landmines, resulting in a powerful blast that severely damaged the vehicle. Following the explosion, the insurgents attempted to ambush the convoy, but a combined team of security operatives, including soldiers, police, NSCDC, DSS, Civilian Joint Task Force, and local vigilantes, swiftly responded and engaged the attackers in a fierce gunfight.
An insider who escaped the attack described the incident as terrifying. "The terrorists fired several rocket-propelled grenades on our convoy, followed by sporadic shooting. Luckily, our security agencies gallantly repelled the attacks. Police armoured vehicles were damaged, but there was no casualty," the source told Vanguard. The Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, confirmed the attack, stating that police tactical operatives successfully counter-engaged the terrorists and forced them to retreat into the surrounding bush. The convoy was safely evacuated to a secure location, with no casualties recorded among members of the entourage.
The Gubio-Kareto-Damasak route is a notoriously volatile corridor, serving as a transit route for Boko Haram insurgents moving from their Lake Chad enclaves toward Alagarma, the Sambisa Forest, and parts of Yobe State. Because of its strategic importance for terrorist logistics and movement, the area has long remained a dangerous hotspot for relentless ambushes targeting both military convoys and civilian travelers. Thursday's ambush underscores the persistent security challenges facing political figures and campaigns in Borno State and evokes memories of past political violence, notably the tragic January 2011 assassination of Modu Fannami Gubio, governorship candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party, who was shot and killed by gunmen in Maiduguri.
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