Suspected bandits attacked the security convoy of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in Katsina state, an official has said.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu issued a statement confirming the attack on Tuesday, saying two people in the convoy sustained minor injuries.
“The attackers opened fire on the convoy from ambush positions but were repelled by the military, police and DSS personnel accompanying the convoy,” said the statement. “Two people in the convoy are receiving treatment for the minor injuries they suffered. All the other personnel, staff and vehicles made it safely to Daura.”
“The Presidency has described as sad and unwelcome the shooting incident near Dutsinma, Katsina State,” the statement added.
Buhari is scheduled to visit Katsina during the Sallah celebration, an Islamic festival, which will be held over the weekend.
Attackers also killed a police area commander and another officer in a different part of Katsina state, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the state police spokesman, Gambo Isah.
For more than a decade, gangs of bandits have run riot in vast swaths of northern Nigeria. In recent years, the violence caused by the groups has turned into a full-fledged crisis in the African country as they have been involved in the abduction, maiming, sexual violence, and killings of citizens across northern parts of the country.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
