Gunmen kill Emir of Gwoza In Borno attack

Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram Islamic militant group have killed a first-class traditional ruler Gwoza in Borno State, Alhaji Idrisss, the Emir of Timta.

Official sources said on Friday that the gunmen snatched the Emir of Timta, Gwoza Alhaji Idriss and the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ismaila Mamza, of vehicles on the road at Zhur, a remote community in the southern part of Borno State.

A security source and a Borno State official told Reuters that they were on their way to a funeral.

One of the sources said military had deployed to the area to rescue the hostages, although such missions always fraught with peril.

However, the Borno State Government, in a statement on Friday, said that Andrea had killed Alhaji Timta by the sect members.

According to the statement, the Emir was killed around 9: 00 am on Friday in a bloody attack by suspected members of the Boko haram sect along Tashan A on the road to Biu town, headquarters of Biu Lo cal Government Area in southern Borno State.

"The late Emir was accompanied by the Emir of Askirama and Alhaji Muhammadu Abdullahi Ibn Ahmed, Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza, who all raced in the same vehicle as she walked to Biu to pick up the Emir of Biu so they all can run in convoy to Gombe State to attend the funeral of the late Emir of Gombe which is scheduled for the funeral in Gombe today.

The Late Emir of Timta, Gwoza Alhaji Idriss

"The late Emir of Gwoza had its counterpart, yesterday visited the Emir of Uba and the night passed in Uba prior to their planned trip today. The two Emirs were this morning, accompanied by the Emir of Richard. The three rode in the same vehicle with the intent to go Biu join their counterpart in Biu.

"Unfortunately as they were driving in convoy to Biu, they were ambushed by gun men around Tashan Alade, soon after passing Garkida. The armed men came after the convoy, specifically aimed at conveying the three Emirs vehicle and opened fire. The Emir of Gwoza was unfortunately killed by the attackers while Richard escapes unscathed and the Emirs of Uba, "the statement read.

A policeman in the convoy was shot by the attackers, but he survived the attack.

Despite a year-long military offensive against the Islamic Group, Boko Haram, which is fighting to recover from an old Islamic Caliphate in Northern Nigeria, been able to run riot in the North-East and bomb cities in the Northeast.

The kidnapping comes a day after Nigeria's President, Goodluck Jonathan, in a democracy day message, said he had ordered a large-scale operation against Boko Haram Islamic militants.

He had said "days of peace will come again", assuring Nigerians of his Government's commitment to ending the rebellion.

Despite the military operations in the area are more than 200 girls kidnapped by the members of the sect on April 14 of their dormitory in the Government Girls High School in Chibok, Borno State, still missing.

But President Jonathan also reassured the parents of the school girls that their children would be released.

Boko Haram had in a video of the girls released some weeks ago demanded for the release of members of the Group held in various detention camps cross Nigeria in Exchange for the girls.