SUSPECTED Boko Haram insurgents on Tuesday abducted the Secretary of Kukawa Local Government Council in Borno State, along with one other person, in what appears to be a targeted attack near the troubled Lake Chad region.
Security and local sources confirmed the incident to this newspaper, revealing that the victims were intercepted around 1:35 p.m. at Garin Kashim, a rural location along the route to Kukawa town.
The LG Secretary, who was reportedly newly posted to the area, was travelling in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle when the gunmen ambushed the car.
“The insurgents flagged down the vehicle, singled out the LG Secretary and one other passenger, and allowed the rest to go,” a security source familiar with the operation told this newspaper.
“They then disappeared into the surrounding bushland with their captives.”
Local residents expressed concern that the operation bore signs of a coordinated setup, possibly aided by an informant who alerted the attackers about the secretary’s movement.
“They were hiding by the riverbank. It’s clear they knew who was coming and when,” said one resident who requested anonymity for security reasons. “This has the fingerprints of an informant all over it.”
The source added that the assailants moved swiftly, suggesting prior surveillance and local knowledge.
Following the abduction, a distress call was placed to Sector 3 of the Nigerian Army’s counterinsurgency operations in the region.
“As soon as we alerted Sector 3, they deployed troops to begin search and rescue operations,” a community source confirmed.
Troops have since begun combing the area in a bid to locate and retrieve the victims safely, though no official statement has been issued by military authorities as of press time.
Kukawa Local Government Area is located in the volatile Lake Chad axis, a region that has remained a hotbed of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) activities for over a decade.
The area is notorious for ambushes, abductions, and violent attacks targeting civilians, government officials, and security forces alike.
In recent months, insurgents have stepped up targeted kidnappings of government and political figures, fuelling fears of renewed offensives as rainy season movements slow down military patrols.
As of the time of filing this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the fate of the LG Secretary and his companion remains unknown.
Security agencies have called for heightened vigilance in the region and warned residents to report any suspicious movements to authorities.