Several Passengers Abducted as Gunmen Attack Motorists on Zamfara Highway
Gusau, Zamfara State – In a harrowing incident on Saturday evening, several passengers were abducted by gunmen suspected to be bandits who launched an attack on motorists traveling along a highway in Zamfara State.
Eyewitnesses reported that the armed assailants blocked the Damri to Bakura road, forcibly hijacking vehicles and abducting all occupants. A social media user, DanKatsina50, shared the distressing news, stating, “A few hours ago, bandits blocked the Damri to Bakura road in Zamfara State, abducting all passengers from two fully loaded vehicles. It’s alarming that terrorists can put a blockade on a road in broad daylight without any fear. The northwest region of Nigeria has become a web of terror.”
Zamfara State has been one of the epicenters of banditry in Northern Nigeria, with criminal gangs frequently raiding villages, looting, killing, and burning homes. These gangs operate from camps located in a vast forest that stretches across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. Over the years, they have also carried out mass kidnappings, including targeting students in schools.
In 2019, in an effort to curb the violence, the Zamfara State government, under the leadership of then-Governor and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, entered into a peace agreement with the bandits. However, despite the accord, the state continues to suffer from frequent attacks, with residents being kidnapped or killed.
This latest abduction highlights the ongoing insecurity in the region and the growing boldness of the criminal elements operating there.