Suspected armed bandits on Saturday blocked the busy Gusau-Funtua highway, abducting an unspecified number of travellers in Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara State.
The assailants reportedly blocked the road between Kucheri and Magazu communities, indiscriminately shooting at vehicles to halt their movement.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the attack.
He disclosed that joint rescue operations involving the police and other security agencies are underway to free the kidnapped victims.
“The incident occurred this afternoon. The bandits blocked the road and opened fire on commuters, abducting some of them.
The command, in collaboration with other security agencies, is working diligently to ensure the victims are rescued,” Abubakar said.
He, however, denied reports that five mobile police officers were abducted during a confrontation with the attackers.
Zamfara has recently witnessed a series of violent attacks along key highways, adding to the region’s growing security challenges.
The state is among several in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions suffering from the activities of heavily armed criminal gangs, known for kidnapping, looting, and burning homes.
The bandits operate from forest camps spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states.
They have also been involved in mass abductions of schoolchildren in recent years, further compounding insecurity in the region.
Last month, similar gangs launched an attack on four villages in Katsina State’s Sabuwa district, killing 25 people, mostly local vigilantes, in what was believed to be retaliation for military operations against their hideouts.
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