TheCable

Ansaru, a militant group, 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.

1. 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. pic.twitter.com/iHHHUxodnf

— Bulama Bukarti (@bulamabukarti) January 19, 2020

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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.

The attack on the emir occurred along the Kaduna-Zaria highway on Wednesday and at least six lives were lost.

The emir was on his way to Zaria, Kaduna, on a tour of some traditional institutions in the north as part of preparations for the official inauguration of the Potiskum Central Mosque, Yobe slated for Saturday.

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.

He said the scene was like a battlefield.

“We were just about thirty seconds from our discussion then the sound of gunshots erupted. The gunshots were unbelievable. It was just like a war field,” the emir told reporters at his palace.

“Instantly, I saw my pilot driver swerved and then hit a standing vehicle. I suspected the shooting affected him and the police people around him.

“As the shooting was going on, we decided to abandon our vehicles and take to safety. God in His infinite mercy led me to escape the danger zone. The gunshots continued for almost two hours. I continued trekking into the bush until when the sound of the guns was a bit far off from me. That is how I found myself, it’s God mercy that helped me to escape danger zone.”