Heavily armed bandits have blocked the busy Gusau-Sokoto road at Kuka Mairahhu in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State. One victim said commuters were stranded at the military base in Fangaltama. “The bandits put us in the middle, thereby blocking the front and back, including the military checkpoint. We were all stranded,” the victim said. Another female victim recounted her trauma after her vehicle developed a fault while the bandits held the road. “After we thought that the road was reopened, the two cars that passed before us were all abducted. We found the doors of the two cars open, but nobody was sighted, either near or far away,” she said.
Banditry in Zamfara has escalated over a decade. Armed groups operate from forest camps across the northwest. They block highways, rustle cattle and abduct travellers for ransom. In 2021, the federal government declared Zamfara a no-fly zone. Military operations intensified. The attacks continued. The Gusau-Sokoto road is a critical artery. When bandits block it, they cut off trade, travel and security access between two states.
A separate attack occurred overnight in the Nasarawa area of Damba community, on the outskirts of Gusau. A female resident said the bandits attacked around 1am. They jumped over a fence and entered her house while shooting sporadically. “The bandits attacked our area around 1am and jumped into my house, but we were saved by God. They later went out without harming anyone, but bullets are all over the courtyard of our compound,” she said. Another resident said the bandits went door to door, knocking and asking for people. They then began shooting. The resident alleged the bandits passed through an Army security checkpoint in the bush. “The Army security checkpoint stationed at Nasarawa, along the cemetery, is not working properly. They should be the ones to block the bandits, but they allowed them to pass.” The bandits fled after members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and police engaged them. The Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said he was yet to confirm the incidents.
Winners: The bandits, who profit from ransom and rustling. No one else. Losers: The abducted travellers and their families. Stranded commuters. Residents of Damba, who live in fear. The military, whose checkpoint is bypassed. The police, whose response is delayed. The state, whose authority is challenged on a major highway.
Bottom Line: Bandits blocked a highway and abducted travellers. They attacked a community and rustled animals. The military checkpoint did not stop them. The police have not confirmed the incidents. Zamfara’s highways are not safe. The state’s security architecture is failing. Until that changes, the attacks will continue.