Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have kidnapped the Secretary of Kukawa Local Government Area in Borno State.
The government official was abducted alongside one other person.
The incident occurred around 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday near Garin Kashim, while the victims were travelling in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle on their way to Kukawa.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers intercepted the vehicle, ordered the secretary and another occupant to step out, and led them into the bush, leaving the remaining passengers unharmed.
Some local sources believe the assailants acted on insider information, suggesting that the victims were specifically targeted.
“They waited near the river and went directly for the secretary. It was clearly based on a tip-off,” one source said.
Following a distress call, troops from Sector 3 of the Nigerian military were reportedly deployed to track and rescue the victims.
Kukawa, located in the Lake Chad basin, is one of the areas frequently targeted by Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP.
The abduction came just two days after ISWAP fighters killed seven individuals, including hunters, Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, members, and local vigilantes, in Magumeri Local Government Area.
Borno has continued to bear the brunt of the insurgency in the North-East despite years of operation by the security agencies to flush out the terrorists.