February 25, (THEWILL) — Residents and motorists in Zamfara State were thrown into panic on Wednesday after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded along the busy Gusau–Funtua highway, damaging a cement-laden truck and disrupting traffic, even as security forces successfully detected and defused multiple explosives planted along another strategic road in the state.
The explosion occurred in the early hours of Wednesday at Unguwar Mai Chida when a trailer transporting cement from Sokoto State toward Kaduna triggered the planted device.
Eyewitnesses said the blast severely damaged the front section of the truck, forcing motorists to halt movement temporarily as fear spread across the area. No casualties were recorded, and the driver was rescued alive.
Local sources alleged that suspected bandits planted the explosive along the highway, a corridor frequently used for the movement of goods and passengers across the North-West region.
The incident 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 remained inaccessible for over a month due to insecurity.
Confirming the development, the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, disclosed that combined tactical teams, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units, detected and safely detonated multiple IEDs planted along the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta axis despite coming under attack.
According to him, the operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers and successfully restored vehicular movement along the strategic route.
“If not for the swift intervention of the security agencies, residents of the affected communities would have continued to face severe hardship, as the blockage had disrupted the supply of food and other essential commodities”, the police commissioner said.
Security agencies have since intensified surveillance and patrols across major highways in the state to prevent further attacks and reassure residents amid growing concerns over the use of explosives by criminal groups.
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