The Boko Haram terrorists have kidnapped the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) staff and the Secretary General of National Union of Yobe State Students’ Union along Maiduguri/Damaturu road in Borno. The abducted staff and students’ leader; Abubakar Idris and Mua’ze Bawa were returning from Damaturu to Maiduguri, when they run into terrorists’ roadblock to attack and kidnap people. The kidnap of Idris and Bawa, also occurred barely two weeks after 35 people were abducted along the same route on December 18, 2020. Idris was a Seniour Protection Assistant (SPA) with UNHCR, before his abduction along with the students’ leader in Yobe state. According to Civilian JTF sources Sunday in Maiduguri, the abduction incident of Saturday by 8.30am occurred at Matari village located between Jakana and Auno. “The insurgents in military uniform attacked our commuters along this road, before setting up their road block with three Hilux vans and motorcycles on road sides,” said an anonymous Civilian JTF member. He said Idris was on a private return trip from Damaturu, the Yobe state capital when he ran into the road block. On how they were abducted, Hamidu Isa, a vigilante for the Jakana/Mainok axis said: “While searching the passengers, Idris attempted to throw away his ID card but in the process, one of the insurgents sighted him. “He was then asked to alight from the vehicle along with two other passengers, while the rest of passengers were ask to continue with their journey to Maiduguri. “The two passengers were later released on the condition that they are poor people and no use for their abductions into the Sambisa Forest.” The Guardian also learns that the ‘attacks and abductions’ have been occurring; despite the presence of the military, crack squad, police, civilian JTF and hunters along the 132 kilometre road. According to Isa, most of the attacks and abduction last year occurred along the 40-kilometre Maiduguri/Jakana road. He said they also took advantage of troops’ absence, and mounted the checkpoint in an unusual location in Mainok; instead of the Garin Kuturu crossing point to Lake Chad region and Sambisa Forest. He said the road continues to be in a poor state, as the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) could not complete the 593 kilometre Kano/Maiduguri dual carriage way. The road project was awarded to three contractors by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. The insurgents in April 2018 however; torched eight heavy duty construction machines and bulldozers including earth removing equipment near Jakana. Other people abducted on the same road include Emmanuel Peter, a humanitarian aid worker with the World Food Programme (WFP) on December 14, 2020. Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno state, had recently indicted the army and police for not securing the road for motorists and commuters. Instead of securing the roads, he alleged that some of the troops are busy collecting money at checkpoints. The Federal Government had also repeatedly stated that; “It is on top of the security situations in Northeast and across the nation.”
