Travellers on the Gusau-Funtua highway faced a terrifying ordeal as armed bandits blocked the road, shooting at vehicles and abducting an unspecified number of people between the Kucheri and Magazu communities in Zamfara State. The Zamfara State Police Command is working with other security agencies to rescue the victims.
Contrary to reports, the spokesperson for the police command denied that five mobile policemen were abducted during the incident. This attack is part of a disturbing pattern as armed bandits have been increasingly targeting this highway, which has become a hotbed for criminal activities in recent months.
Zamfara, along with other states in northwestern and central Nigeria, is plagued by heavily armed gangs that engage in mass abductions, violence, and destruction. These criminals maintain camps in forests across multiple states, with recent attacks in Katsina resulting in casualties and raising concerns about alliances with jihadist groups in northeastern Nigeria.