Ahead of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Eid-el-Kabir visit to Daura, his hometown in Katsina state, some terrorists laid ambush and opened fire on the Presidential Guards and other members of the advance team at Dutsinama, a suburb of the state.
Although there was no life lost in the incident, the Presidency described it as “sad and unwelcome.” It was gathered that two members of the team sustained minor injuries and receiving treatment.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu confirmed the development in a late evening statement Tuesday.
Titled ‘Gallant Presidential Guards Repel Attack On Advance Team Ahead Of President’s Visit,’ the statement reads: “The Presidency has described as sad and unwelcome, the shooting incident near Dutsinma, Katsina State, at the convoy of cars carrying the Advance Team of security guards, protocol and media officers ahead of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to Daura for Sallah.
“The attackers opened fire on the convoy from ambush positions but were repelled by the military, police and DSS personnel accompanying the convoy.
“Two persons in the convoy are receiving treatment for the minor injuries they suffered. All the other personnel, staff and vehicles made it safely to Daura.”
Kankara
The incident occurred barely one and half years after (heavily) armed bandits as then known and called, stormed Government Science Secondary School (GSS), Kankara in Kankara local government area of the some twenty four hours after the president arrived Daura on a one-week private visit.
In the attack, some students of the school, mainly boys, were kidnapped but later released December 17, 2020, some five days after their abduction.
Prior to that time, the bandits had launched several attacks on towns and villages, killing some people and abducting others in the state to unknown locations for ransom.
Kuje Prison under attack
In a related development, gunmen Tuesday night attacked Kuje Medium Prison throwing the area into chaos.
A resident of the area told Blueprint under anonymity that a high capacity explosives went off around 10.25pm.
He said there were sporadic gunshots that unsettled the residents.
“We are at home now. We are hearing gunshots everywhere. The situation is really scaring, especially for some of us who are very close to the prison yard,” he said.
The trio of spokesman of the Nigeria Correctional Service Abubakar Danlami Umar, Force Public Relations Officer Olumuyiwa Adejobi and spokesman of the FCT Police Command, DSP Adeh Josephine were yet to comment at the time of this report.
