Gunmen kill Borno Water Resources Director

MAIDUGURI— Gunmen, yesterday, killed the Director of Design and Construction in the Borno State Ministry of Water Resources, Mallam Ali Mohammed Sheriff in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Sheriff’s death is coming barely 24 hours after a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Land and Survey, Mallam Yerima and another lecturer with the Department of Geography, University of Maiduguri, Mr. Babagana Kolo were trailed to their houses and shot dead in Maiduguri metropolis.
Military Joint Task Force, JTF, otherwise known as Operation Restore Order had, last week through its spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir, said government officials were now target of attacks by suspected terrorists.
It was gathered that Ali was trailed by his assailants to his house, yesterday morning, and shot in front of his house in Mafoni ward as he was preparing to go his office (Water House) in Maiduguri.
A friend and colleague to late Sheriff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Ali’s death as “unfortunate.”
He said: “I am very disturbed with the security challenges facing our dear state. As I am talking to you, we are coming from Gwange Cemetery where we went to bury the remains of our lovely and humble colleague, which we miss dearly.
“I pray that God Almighty will grant the soul of the deceased eternal rest.”
In a related development, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members, shot and killed the uncle (names withheld) to the secretary of the clerk of Borno State House of Assembly, Bakura Maina, in Abaganaram ward at about 6.25pm earlier on Tuesday.
An eyewitness said the deceased was trailed to his house in the evening; when people in the area were performing their prayers in a mosque and shot him dead.
The eyewitness said: “We heard gunshots towards the direction of his house, and thought that it was the JTF patrolling the area, only to hear children crying from the same direction.
“People ran into their houses for safety.”
The Information Officer to the Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Kaltume Jafaru, confirmed that the Assembly lost one of the relations to the secretary to clerk of the House, Tuesday, in Abaganaram ward, adding that the deceased had since been buried.