Many Feared Killed As Boko Haram Abducts Oil Exploration Workers In Borno

Heavily armed men suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect have ambushed a team of oil exploration workers and security operatives in Borno state.

A military source, who disclosed this to newsmen Tuesday evening said the incident happened at Magumeri in Gubio local government area of the state.

The source said the workers were returning from Borno Yeso area of Magumeri when they ran into their attackers.

He said of the ten vehicles that conveyed the workers to Magumeri, only one returned.

“Five persons who escaped the ambush attack are currently receiving medical attention at the Borno State  Specialist Hospital,” he said.

“Many are believed to have been killed.”

The source did not reveal whether the oil workers were staffers of the Nigerian Nations Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or private companies.

In 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to fast-track oil exploration in the north, specifically in the Chad Basin and Kolmani river.

This followed the reported discovery of hydrocarbons by Shell in the Chad Basin and Kolmani River.

Boko Haram has stepped up attacks in Maiduguri and its environs since Tukur Burutai, chief of army staff, ordered his men to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of the sect, within 40 days.