A joint security operation involving the Nigeria Police Force and military personnel has rescued an abducted staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), foiled coordinated bandit attacks and recovered hundreds of rustled cattle in separate operations across Zamfara State.
According to security sources cited by counter-insurgency publication, Zagazola Makama, the operations were carried out in Gummi, Talata Mafara and Gusau Local Government Areas following renewed attacks by armed bandits in parts of the state.
The sources disclosed that heavily armed bandits riding on about 50 motorcycles invaded communities in the Ruwan Bore District of Talata Mafara Local Government Area on July 7, rustling hundreds of cattle and causing panic among residents.
During the attack, a woman reportedly sustained a gunshot injury from a stray bullet and was taken to the General Hospital, Talata Mafara, where she is receiving treatment.
The bandits later moved towards Gummi Local Government Area and abducted Aliyu Mohammed, an INEC staff member who was reportedly on official duty related to the movement of National Examinations Council (NECO) examination materials.
Mohammed had reportedly transported examination scripts collected from schools in Gummi to Sokoto before he was intercepted by the gunmen along the Gummi-Sokoto Road.Security sources said the victim’s official vehicle, a white Toyota Hilux with registration number FG 853-V01, was later recovered abandoned at the Tafkin area.
Police operatives attached to the Gummi Division subsequently secured the vehicle and recovered the examination scripts, which were handed over to the Principal of Government Unity Secondary School, Gummi, Ashiru Umar, for onward delivery to the appropriate NECO office in Sokoto.
Acting on intelligence reports that a large group of armed bandits had regrouped in the Gando Forest and mobilised reinforcements from neighbouring Sokoto and Kebbi states, the Zamfara State Police Command deployed operatives of its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to reinforce military troops already conducting operations in the area.
The combined security team reportedly engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle in the early hours of July 8.Sources said the superior firepower of the joint forces forced the attackers to retreat into the forest with casualties, while several others escaped with gunshot wounds.
The operation led to the rescue of the abducted INEC official and another victim without injury.Security operatives also recovered hundreds of rustled cattle, which were later returned to their owners.
In a separate operation on July 8, security personnel responded to a distress call over the abduction of motorists and farmers at Kwanar Ganuwa in Gusau Local Government Area.
Operatives of the VCRU, supported by personnel of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel, forcing them to abandon their captives and flee into nearby forests.All the victims were rescued unharmed.
Reacting to the development, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, A.M. Bello, reiterated the command’s determination to sustain offensive operations against banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes across the state.
He also called on residents to continue supporting security agencies with credible and timely intelligence to strengthen ongoing efforts aimed at restoring peace and security in Zamfara and neighbouring communities.
The latest operations come amid intensified security offensives against armed groups operating across the North-West, particularly in Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina states, where authorities have recorded a series of successes in recent weeks against bandit networks.
