Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists have kidnapped the newly elected Vice Chairman of Biu Local Government Area, Alhaji Saidu, along with two councillors, in a brazen attack in Borno State just days after local government elections. The abductions occurred on Wednesday evening along the Kamuya–Buni Yadi road, a stretch of highway long associated with insurgent violence and mass kidnappings.
The victims were reportedly travelling from Biu to Maiduguri after participating in the recent Saturday local government polls when their convoy was intercepted by gunmen linked to Islamist militant groups. In addition to the politicians, several other passengers travelling on the same route including occupants of a Hisbah vehicle and occupants of a Jamatul Nasrul Islam bus were seized during the attack, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the assault.
Among the abducted was one of the immediate past vice chairmen of the local government, underscoring the severity of the security breach. Local sources say the 120-kilometre stretch of road connecting Biu, Buratai, Kamuya and Buni Yadi remains a high-risk corridor where insurgents frequently operate with deadly effect, taking advantage of minimal security presence and difficult terrain.
Community leaders and political stakeholders have since called on the federal and state security agencies to intensify rescue operations and deploy additional resources to the area to ensure the safe release of the abducted officials and other captives. The incident has renewed public concern about persistent insecurity in Nigeria’s North-East and the threat it poses to democratic processes, especially immediately following elections.
