Nigeria: Islamic leader on way to funeral killed by militants

Gunmen on Friday shot dead a Nigerian Islamic traditional leader in the northeastern state of Borno as he and other Muslim royals were heading to a funeral, the state government said, according to CNN.

Idrissa Timta, emir of the town of Gwoza, was killed as he and two other emirs were traveling to the funeral of an emir in neighboring Gombe state, Borno government representative Bab Ahmed Jidda said.

Jidda said the attackers are suspected to be members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The country's defense ministry, which also reported the attack, called the gunmen a "band of terrorists" but did not identify their affiliation.

The emir of Uba, Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza, and the emir of Askira, Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama, escaped unhurt, according to Jidda.

The gunmen specifically targeted the vehicle holding the three emirs and opened fire, Jidda said.

A police escort was shot and injured in the attack, Jidda said.

Wali Ibrahim, a member of the Gwoza royalty and a close aide to the slain emir, said the gunmen opened fire from hilltops overlooking the highway.

"We came under heavy gunfire from the hills, which forced the convoy to break up in disarray," said Ibrahim, who was in Timta's entourage.

"We returned to a military checkpoint not far from the scene of the attack and reported the incident to soldiers there, but to our surprise they made no effort to go after the attackers," Ibrahim said.

"By the time we returned to the scene, we met the emir dead inside the vehicle with gunshots," he said.

Troops were dispatched to the area after the attack and are trying to find the assailants, the defense ministry said.