BEVERLY HILLS, January 19, (THEWILL) – A militant group, Ansaru, has claimed responsibility for the attack on the convoy of Umaru Bubaram, emir of Potiskum in Yobe state.
Bulama Bukarti, an analyst and human rights lawyer who shared the development on Twitter, raised concerns that the attack might be a signal of the comeback of Ansaru, which was established in 2012.
One of the group’s last known attacks was in February 2013 when seven foreign nationals were kidnapped from a compound owned by the Lebanese construction company Setraco in Kano.
Bulama tweeted @bulamabukarti: “Yesterday, Ansaru claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack that reportedly killed at least 30 people in the convoy of the Emir of Potiskum along Kaduna-Zaira road. The claim which came through al-Qaida’s Thabat News Agency is Ansaru’s first since 2013.”
The attack on the emir occurred along the Kaduna-Zaria highway on Wednesday and at least six lives were lost as the emir was on his way to Zaria, Kaduna, on a tour of some traditional institutions.
When he returned to his kingdom after the attack, the emir said he slept in the bush overnight after the gunmen shot sporadically for two hours.
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