Boko Haram landmines, on Tuesday, blew apart seven hunters about 30 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
Senator Kashim Shettima, representing Borno Central in the Senate, and Senator Ahmed Satomi, representing Jere Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, confirmed the incident to newsmen.
They confirm that 19 other hunters were left injured by the incident.
They explain that the landmine destroyed the vehicles of local hunters who were on the hunt for suspected Boko Haram members.
The suspected Boko Haram members had, earlier, stolen cows from communities in Jere Local Government Area of the state.
“It was sad that seven local hunters were lost to a landmine with 19 others injured,” Senator Satomi said.
“Hunters on patrol, after receiving an alert that Boko Haram had rustled some cattle from some villages, decided to pursue them. Unfortunately, they hit a landmine in their pursuit.
“On their way, after a village called Kayamla in Konduga, after Alau Dam, they hit a landmine and their vehicle got broken and they had to call for reinforcement from a nearby unit.
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“The reinforcement came with a vehicle loaded with about 20 local hunters which moved to support the first vehicle and on their way, they hit another landmine which scattered their vehicles, killing seven and injuring 19 others,” Satomi continued.
A survivor of the incident, Abubakar Gambo, told reporters in Maiduguri that they were 19 moving in their patrol truck when they heard a loud noise.
“We were on patrol along Kayamla route when one of the rear tyres of our Toyota Land Cruiser truck exploded. We thought it was a common tyre burst, but we later discovered it was a bomb.
“Our backup team arrived and began to chase after the insurgents, who had already gone far into the bush. As they were making their way back, the vehicle ran over a massive bomb that exploded and killed nine of them instantly, while nine others were injured. I saw their vehicle as it was tossed up into the air,” Gambo said.
He further explained that the terrorists ran, leaving behind some rustled cows.
Sa’ina Buba, The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, confirmed the incident during the funeral of the seven dead hunters in Maiduguri.
“We are saddened by the death of these gallant hunters, who sacrificed their lives to protect us,” Buba said.
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