An Improvised Explosive Device exploded early Wednesday along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State, damaging a trailer conveying cement at Unguwar Mai Chida and disrupting traffic.
The device is suspected to have been planted by bandits, who have been under pressure from ongoing security operations in the area.
The blast reportedly destroyed the head of the truck travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna, but no casualties were recorded. The driver, Dauda Adamu, was rescued alive.
Confirming the incident, Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said combined tactical teams, particularly Explosive Ordnance Disposal units, detected and detonated multiple IEDs along the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta axis despite coming under attack.
“The operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers, and succeeded in reopening the road to traffic. If not for their swift intervention, residents of the affected communities would have continued to face severe hardship, as the blockage disrupted the supply of food and other essential commodities,” he said.
CP Maikaba added that joint security operations would continue, alongside additional tactical measures, to ensure the full restoration of normalcy in the area.
Hussaini Mohammed, an indigene, said the explosion came just hours after a joint team of police and military operatives cleared and reopened the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta road in Tsafe Local Government Area, which had been inaccessible for over a month due to explosives.
He added, “During the clearance operation, security operatives ran into an ambush and engaged the bandits in a gun duel that lasted several hours. The area was tense and chaotic.”
Mohammed also noted that the IED that struck the trailer might have been among the devices originally planted to target security personnel.
Another eyewitness, commercial driver Lawal Senior, said he helped pull the injured driver from the damaged trailer head.
He described the explosion as extremely loud, causing panic among motorists who immediately parked at a safe distance. “Many drivers stopped and watched from afar until the military and other security personnel arrived to secure and clear the road,” Lawal said.
