NO fewer than seven hunters were blown apart on Tuesday by landmine about 30 kilometres away from Maiduguri , the Borno State capital .
The landmine , which scattered the vehicles of local hunters searching for suspected Boko Haram members , who had rustled cows from communities in Jere Local Government Area of the state, also got 19 other hunters injured .
Both Senator Kashim Shettima , representing Borno Central in the Senate , and Ahmed Satomi , representing Jere Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives , confirmed the incident on Wednesday .
Satomi said, “It was sad that seven local hunters were lost to a landmine with 19 others injured . ”
He 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.
“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 . ”
One of the survivors , Abubakar Gambo , told journalists in Maiduguri that they were 19 onboard their patrol truck when they heard a loud bang .
“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 , ” he said.
He has also said while they were trying to change the tyre , they spotted some Boko Haram gunmen creeping towards them , which made them to begin to fire in their direction while calling for a backup .
He said the Boko Haram terrorists afterward fled and left some rustled cows behind .
Gambo said, “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. ”
The state Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Sa ’ ina Buba, while confirming the incident during the funeral of the seven slain hunters in Maiduguri , said, “We are saddened by the death of these gallant hunters , who sacrificed their lives to protect us . ”
Copyright PUNCH .
