A new wave of insecurity has struck the Dansadau Emirate in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, as armed bandits operating in the region have begun using explosives in their attacks, marking a troubling escalation in their tactics.
Bello Dansadau, a local resident, highlighted the alarming shift in the bandits’ methods, marking a dangerous escalation in their activities.
According to Dansadau, the bandits had planned to attack Yar Galadima village in the early hours of Sunday. In anticipation of a potential response from local vigilantes and military personnel stationed in Dansadau Town, the terrorists strategically planted an explosive device along the Dansadau–Yar Galadima highway to prevent reinforcements from reaching the village.
The explosive detonated when a commercial vehicle accidentally struck it, instantly killing the driver and completely destroying the vehicle.
“The bandits are now using explosives. Early on Sunday, they planned to attack Yar Galadima, a village near us. But knowing that our vigilante team and the military would come to the aid of the village, they planted a bomb along the Dansadau-Gusau highway leading to Yar Galadima,” Dansadau explained.
He continued, “One vehicle hit the bomb, killing the driver and destroying the vehicle. The driver was the only person in the vehicle.”
“This is the first time we have encountered such tactics from the bandits, and it is deeply concerning,” he added.
