The police say five persons including children sustained injuries when Boko Haram insurgents fired shots targeting voters from Mandara Mountains in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, according to the police.
Gwoza is located approximately 135 kilometres south-east of Maiduguri, the Borno capital.
Borno commissioner of police, CP Abdu Umar, who confirmed the incident in an interview with NAN, said several gunshots were fired at voters from the top of the Mandara mountain.
He said the injured victims comprised two females and three males, adding that the troops of the Nigerian Army were deployed to the area.
‘Efforts of the military within the area of responsibility helped in chasing the terrorists, forcing them to flee due to the superior firepower,’ he said.
The police boss said normalcy has since been restored in the LGA as the voting exercise continued. He added that the gunshot victims have been referred to a hospital for treatment.
According to him, the attack disrupted the voting process for some hours as the electorate scampered for safety, which led to many of them sustaining injuries.
‘It was gathered that that attackers suspected to be from the camp of Ali Ngulde, of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, Boko Haram faction, carried out the attack as the voters were about to start voting and in the process, injured five persons compring of two women and three males,’ he added.
Meanwhile, the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno (NECSOB) has expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters in the presidential and National Assembly elections in the state.
The Chairman of the group, Bulama Abiso, who led a team of observers for the election, described the turnout as ‘encouraging’.
