IED Explodes Along Zamfara Highway

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated on Wednesday morning along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State, damaging a trailer truck carrying cement and causing a traffic gridlock.

The device, suspected to have been planted by bandits, exploded as the truck passed through Unguwar Mai Chida. The driver was rescued alive, and no lives were lost.

One resident said the explosion occurred just hours after a joint team of police and military operatives cleared and reopened the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta Road, which had been inaccessible for over a month due to explosives planted by criminals.

Confirming the incident, Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said combined police and military units, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) teams, detected and detonated multiple IEDs along the route despite coming under attack.

“The operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers, and reopened the road to traffic. If not for their swift intervention, residents would have continued to face severe hardship as the blockage disrupted food and essential commodity supply,” CP Maikaba said.

He added that joint security operations will continue, with additional tactical measures, to ensure full restoration of normalcy in the area.