Bandits blow up bridge in Zamfara, kill 1

An explosive planted by bandits has destroyed a bridge in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, resulting in the death of one person.

The incident occurred on Sunday as part of a larger attack on the community of Unguwar Galadima.

Residents reported that the terrorists had planted the explosive during their attempt to raid the town, with the attack being part of a mission of retaliation for the killing of their leader, Sani Black, by local vigilantes in September.

Black, a notorious figure in the region, was known for his involvement in terrorism and was a close ally of the late Tsoho Buhari and Halilu Sububu, who were also killed earlier in the year.

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PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that several armed bandits were killed during the failed raid on Unguwar Galadima, as they encountered resistance from local forces. The bandits, despite suffering casualties, abandoned several weapons and retreated.

In a further act of sabotage, the bandits had secretly planted an explosive device beside a bridge connecting Unguwar Galadima to Dansadau town. This was reportedly done to hinder military movements aimed at repelling their attack.

Local sources shared a video of the explosion with our correspondence, revealing the scale of the damage caused by the blast.

“There are soldiers stationed at Dansadau town; they can easily move to Unguwar Galadima, which is about two kilometres away, to repel the attack, so the bandits planted the bomb for the soldiers.

“But nobody passed through the route until a lone unidentified driver did, and his vehicle got burnt beyond recognition,” a resident, Haruna Isyaku, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Isyaku said there is fear in Dansadau and surrounding areas over the bandits’ use of an explosive.

The phone number of Suleiman Omale, the spokesperson for Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara, didn’t connect on Sunday evening when our reporter called to speak with him on the development.