30 people killed in attack on government convoy in northeast Nigeria

Armed men killed 30 people in an ambush on a government convoy in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, security sources said Saturday.

The attack, in which dozens of people were also injured, took place on Friday at noon on the road between Monguno and Baga, when the convoy was heading for the town of Baga, the local Daily Trust reported this day.

"The death of a total of 12 police officers has been confirmed, five soldiers also lost their lives" and "13 civilians", a security source told the same newspaper, indicating that the attackers had taken possession of a police armoured car, a truck with weapons belonging to the military and six utility vehicles belonging to the state government.

According to this source, the attackers could belong to the Islamic State in the West African province (ISWAP), one of the factions into which the Boko Haram Jihadist group is divided.

For the time being, there have been no official reactions to the attack, which was repelled by the military of the land and air forces.

Boko Haram was established in 2002 in the town of Maiduguri by the spiritual leader Mohammed Yusuf to denounce the abandonment of the north of the country by the authorities.

At the time it was carrying out attacks against the Nigerian police, as it represented the state, but since Yusuf was shot by agents in 2009 the group has become more radical.

Over time, several factions have emerged in Boko Haram, including ISWAP, following the affiliation of part of the group in 2015 to this organisation with the aim of creating a Daesh province in West Africa.

During his bloody campaign, Boko Haram has killed some 27,000 people and caused more than three million displaced persons, according to government and UN data.