Troops of the 1 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have rescued 21 kidnapped victims after engaging bandits in a fierce gun battle along the Kucheri–Wanzamai road in Zamfara State.
The incident occurred Thursday night when bandits attacked a commercial Hummer bus that had broken down between Bilbis and Kucheri. The passengers were attempting to continue their journey after fixing the vehicle when armed men on motorcycles began trailing and firing at them.
According to a reliable military source, the frightened driver lost control of the vehicle, which somersaulted and caught fire. Tragically, six passengers were killed in the process.
The attack happened within the restricted hours of road use, as the Zamfara State Government has enforced road closure from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily due to security concerns.
Upon hearing gunshots, troops stationed between Maraban Kyaware and Wanzamai swiftly responded, engaging the bandits in a gunfight and forcing them to retreat. The soldiers rescued 21 passengers and evacuated the injured to the General Hospital Tsafe.
A security expert, who spoke anonymously, said the attackers were likely retaliating against recent military airstrikes in Zamfara, which reportedly killed over 40 bandits and destroyed several of their motorcycles.
“It is possible a key bandit leader was killed in that airstrike, and they’re now targeting soft civilian targets to vent their anger,” the expert said.
Security operations are still ongoing across various forests in Zamfara to flush out remaining criminal elements.
