In a brazen attack on Saturday evening, gunmen believed to be bandits targeted travellers on a key highway in Zamfara State, abducting numerous passengers.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants intercepted vehicles along the route, forcibly taking control and kidnapping those on board.
“Just a few hours ago, bandits set up a blockade on the Damri to Bakura road in Zamfara State, seizing all passengers from two fully occupied vehicles,” revealed an X user, DanKatsina50, in a post.
The incident underscores the alarming security situation in the region, where armed groups operate with impunity. “It’s shocking that terrorists can block a road in broad daylight without any fear. The northwest region of Nigeria has become a hub of terror,” the user added.
Zamfara, like several other states in Northern Nigeria, has been severely impacted by the activities of these criminal gangs, often referred to as bandits. These groups are notorious for raiding villages, committing murders, and burning homes.
The bandits are known to have established camps in a vast forest that spans Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. In recent years, they have also been responsible for the mass abduction of students from schools.
In 2019, the Zamfara State government, under the leadership of then-Governor Bello Matawalle, who now serves as the Minister of State for Defence, attempted to broker peace with these armed groups. However, despite the agreement, attacks on communities have persisted, with residents frequently being kidnapped or killed.
