In a brazen attack on Thursday morning, armed bandits blocked the Gusau-Funtua highway in Zamfara State, abducting an unspecified number of travelers, leaving others stranded for hours.
Witnesses reported that the bandits, riding about 50 motorcycles with three men each, set up a roadblock at the Tazame axis of the road around 7 a.m. and continued their operation for hours.
One stranded commuter, Yusuf Tsafe, recounted the harrowing scene, describing how travellers watched helplessly as the bandits led their captives into the bush. “We have been stuck here since morning, waiting for the military to clear the road. We can see the bandits abducting people, but no one is allowed to pass,” he told Channels Television.
Military guntrucks responded to the situation, with soldiers engaging the criminals in a firefight, but as of 9 a.m., the road remained blocked. Another witness confirmed that the nearby Magazu-Kucheri road, another vital link between Gusau and Funtua, had also been blocked by bandits.
ASP Yazid Abubakar, spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, said additional police units, including the Nigerian Police Mobile Squad, had been deployed to secure the area.
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Zamfara, along with other states in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, has become a hotspot for armed gangs who carry out mass abductions and raids for ransom. These groups have escalated their attacks, with recent incidents in Katsina and Zamfara raising concerns of possible collaboration between bandits and jihadist insurgents active in the northeastern part of the country.
This alarming incident on the Gusau–Funtua highway highlights the ongoing insecurity in Zamfara and neighboring states, which have been plagued by banditry and mass abductions.
Armed gangs, often motivated by financial gain, have increasingly targeted highways, schools, and villages in these regions, disrupting daily life and causing immense fear.
This development adds a complex layer to the insecurity, raising concerns about the effectiveness of ongoing counterinsurgency efforts and the potential for further destabilization in the region.
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