By Peter Omopo
An improvised explosive device detonated along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State on Wednesday, damaging a trailer conveying cement and injuring two persons.
The explosion occurred in the early hours of the day at Unguwar Mai Chida along the Funtua–Gusau highway in Tsafe Local Government Area, causing heavy traffic on the busy route.
Local sources said the device, allegedly planted by suspected bandits, exploded as the trailer was passing through the area. The blast severely damaged the head of the truck, which was travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna, but no lives were lost. The driver was reportedly rescued alive.
An eyewitness disclosed that the incident happened just hours after a joint team of police and military operatives had cleared and reopened the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta road in Tsafe Local Government Area, which had remained inaccessible for over a month due to explosives planted by criminal elements.
The resident said security operatives encountered an ambush during the clearance operation and engaged the attackers in a gun battle that lasted several hours, describing the situation as tense and chaotic. He suggested that the explosive device that struck the trailer might have been among those originally planted to target security personnel.
Confirming the incident, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said combined tactical teams of the police and military, particularly the Explosive Ordnance Disposal units, detected and safely detonated multiple improvised explosive devices along the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta axis despite coming under attack.
He stated that the operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers and successfully reopened the road to traffic. According to him, the swift intervention of security agencies prevented prolonged hardship for residents, as the road blockage had disrupted the supply of food and other essential commodities to affected communities.
Maikaba added that joint security operations would be sustained, alongside additional tactical measures, to ensure full restoration of normalcy in the area.
A commercial driver who assisted at the scene said he and others helped to pull the injured driver, identified as Dauda Adamu, from the damaged trailer head. He described the explosion as extremely loud, causing panic among motorists who immediately parked at a safe distance until military and other security personnel arrived to secure and clear the road.
