By Zagazola Makama
A joint security operation involving the Zamfara State Police Command and military personnel has rescued a kidnapped staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), thwarted coordinated bandit attacks, and recovered hundreds of rustled cattle following separate operations in Gummi, Talata Mafara and Gusau Local Government Areas of Zamfara State.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the operations followed a series of coordinated attacks launched by heavily armed bandits across the affected communities.
The sources said that at about 3:30 p.m. on July 7, a large group of armed bandits riding on about 50 motorcycles stormed villages in the Ruwan Bore District of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, rustling hundreds of cattle during the attack.
A woman sustained a gunshot injury from a stray bullet and was evacuated to the General Hospital in Talata Mafara, where she is receiving treatment.
The attackers subsequently advanced toward Gummi Local Government Area, where they abducted Mr. Aliyu Mohammed, an INEC staff member who was on official assignment with the National Examinations Council (NECO). The official had transported examination scripts collected from secondary schools in Gummi to Sokoto before he was intercepted and kidnapped along the Gummi–Sokoto Road.
Security sources said the victim’s official white Toyota Hilux vehicle with registration number FG 853-V01 was later found abandoned at Tafkin Area.
Police operatives from Gummi Division responded promptly, recovered the abandoned vehicle and secured the examination scripts, which were subsequently handed over to the Principal of Government Unity Secondary School, Gummi, Mr. Ashiru Umar, for onward transmission to the appropriate NECO office in Sokoto.
Following intelligence that a large concentration of armed bandits had regrouped inside Gando Forest after inviting reinforcements from neighbouring Sokoto and Kebbi States to retaliate against recent security operations, the Zamfara State Police Command deployed its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to reinforce military troops already conducting operations in the area.
The combined security team engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle that began at about 2:45 a.m. on July 8.
According to the sources, the superior firepower of the joint force overwhelmed the bandits, forcing them to flee into the forest with significant casualties, while several escaped with gunshot wounds.
During the operation, the kidnapped INEC official and another abducted victim were rescued unhurt. Security operatives also recovered hundreds of rustled cattle, which were subsequently returned to their rightful owners.
In a related operation on July 8 at about 9:55 a.m., security operatives responded to a distress call reporting the abduction of several motorists and farmers at Kwanar Ganuwa in Gusau Local Government Area.
Personnel of the VCRU, supported by the Police Mobile Force (PMF), engaged the bandits in a gun battle, compelling them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding forest.
All the victims were rescued unharmed and evacuated to safety.
The Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, CP A.M. Bello, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining offensive operations against banditry and other violent crimes across the state. He also urged residents to continue supporting security agencies with timely and credible information to enhance ongoing efforts to restore peace and security.
