At least five injured after an alleged Boko Haram attack on voters in Nigeria

The assault, which took place in the city of Goza, has led dozens of voters to flee the polls

26 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Suspected terrorists from the jihadist armed group Boko Haram have assaulted the Nigerian city of Goza, in the state of Borno, in the northeast of the country, interrupting the holding of the elections and injuring at least five people this Saturday.

The insurgents have attacked the center of the city, while dozens of voters queued to register, injuring at least five people, as reported by the Emir of Goza, Mohammed Shehu Timta, to the newspaper ‘Daily Trust’.

“Boko Haram insurgents attacked the center of the city and fired sporadically. Five people were injured. The wounded have been taken to Maiduguri for medical attention,” Timta said, condemning the attack.

“They arrived at around 8:30 a.m. (local time) so voters had been queuing to get accredited when the incident occurred. Many voters who fled to safety have not returned while we are making efforts to convince them to come back,” he added. .

In this sense, the Emir of Goza has assured that the security forces have reinforced and persecuted the infiltrators, so the situation is now “under control”.

Goza is the hometown of one of the highest ranking senators, Ali Ndume, who is currently running for re-election.

The population of Nigeria went to the polls this Saturday for presidential and parliamentary elections marked by the race to elect the successor to the president, Muhammadu Buhari, and the humanitarian and security crisis that the African country has been going through for years.

Buhari cannot stand for re-election because he has already served the maximum two terms established by the Constitution, which has opened a dispute that on this occasion has a third way that confronts the two parties that have traditionally dominated the Nigerian politician.