The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, ASP Yazid Abubakar has denied reports suggesting that five mobile police officers were kidnapped during a confrontation with the bandits yesterday.
The spokesman stated this while confirming that suspected armed bandits yesterday blocked the busy Gusau-Funtua highway in Zamfara State, abducting an unknown number of travellers.
He made this known in a recent telephone interview saying that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, are actively conducting joint rescue operations to secure the release of the abducted victims.
The incident occurred between the communities of Kucheri and Magazu in Tsafe Local Government Area, where the bandits ambushed the road and opened fire on vehicles.
"The incident happened this afternoon. The bandits blocked the road and started shooting at commuters, kidnapping some of them. The command, along with other security agencies, is working to ensure the victims are rescued," Abubakar said.
In recent months, armed groups have frequently targeted the Gusau-Funtua highway, intensifying insecurity in the area. Zamfara is one of several northwestern and central Nigerian states plagued by heavily armed gangs who engage in mass kidnappings for ransom, as well as looting and burning villages.
According to reports, these gangs operate from camps in vast forests stretching across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states. In addition to attacking commuters, they have also been responsible for large-scale kidnappings of schoolchildren in recent years.
Last month, bandits raided four villages in the Sabuwa district of Katsina State, killing 25 people, mostly vigilantes, in retaliation for military strikes on their hideouts. Although the gangs are primarily motivated by financial gain, security experts have raised concerns about their growing collaboration with jihadist groups in the northeast, who have been engaged in a 15-year insurgency.
