Several travellers have been feared dead, while many others were reportedly abducted after terrorists attacked commuters along the Magami-Dansadau road in Zamfara State.
The attack reportedly occurred on Sunday evening around the Dansadau axis, a route widely regarded as one of the most dangerous corridors in the state due to recurring bandit attacks and kidnappings.
A resident of Magami, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the attackers opened fire on vehicles travelling under security escort between 4 pm and 5 pm.
According to the resident, at least 10 bodies had been recovered as of the time of filing the report.
“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.”
The spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed awareness of the incident but said casualty figures were still being verified.
The Gusau-Magami-Dansadau road has continued to witness frequent attacks by armed groups, forcing residents to depend heavily on security escorts while travelling between communities and the state capital, Gusau.
