•Terrorists
Suspected terrorists operating around the Dansadau axis of Zamfara State have ambushed commuters travelling along the Magami-Dansadau road, killing an unspecified number of travellers and abducting several others.
A resident of Magami, who pleaded for anonymity for security reasons, told our correspondent that the incident occurred yesterday between 4 and 5 pm when the attackers opened fire on vehicles travelling along the notorious route, reports Channels TV.
According to him, so far, 10 dead bodies have been recovered.
“As you are aware, the road from Magami to Dansadau requires the escort of security agents to safely lead commuters to their communities.
“The commuters who waited for about 7 hours on Saturday after the security operatives came to escort them to Dansadau. While they were going on their way, suspected bandits launched an attack on their convoy, targeting the operational vehicle.
“The convoy reached Dogosatsin village when the bandits opened fire on the operational vehicle of the security forces who were escorting the commuters to Dansadau, killing both security agents and civilians, CJTF, and leaving several others with different degrees of injuries.
“We recovered 10 dead bodies and are still searching for others. Those injured were admitted to the Magami General Hospital but were later referred to Gusau. However, they are still in the hospital because there is no escort yet to evacuate them to Gusau Hospital.
“The bandits also whisked away an unspecified number of people, as they were going to various villages in the area. It took the tremendous efforts of the troops to chase the bandits into the bush with their firepower, which reduced the casualties of the incident.”
While the spokesperson of the Zamfara Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, said he is aware of the attack, he noted that casualty figures were still being verified as of the time of filing this report.
The Gusau-Magami-Dansadau road has remained one of the most dangerous routes in Zamfara State, frequently plagued by banditry, kidnappings, and deadly attacks by armed groups.
Late last year, Governor Dauda Lawal paid a historic visit to Dansadau, where he flagged off the construction of the 108-kilometre road aimed at improving transportation and security in the area.
Residents of the area often rely on security escorts while travelling to Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, due to persistent attacks along the route.
