Police Blame New Terrorist Group, Lakurawa For Zamfara Explosion
The Zamfara State Police Command on Wednesday blamed the new terror group, Lakurawa, for the recent explosions that rocked two villages in Dansadau district of Maru Local Government Area of the state.
The Police’s accusation comes amid assurances by the Federal Government and the Military that group’s days are numbered as it will shortly be obliterated from the Nigerian territory.
The state Police Commissioner, Muhammad Shehu Dalijan, who made the claim in a telephone conversation, confirmed that one person was reported dead in the explosion that occurred at Yar Tasha village along Dansadau-Gusau Road in Maru LGA.
CP Dalijan also disclosed that three other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the incident that took place around 8 am on Wednesday after a commercial driver conveying passengers to Dansadau town ran into an explosive device suspected to have been planted by the terrorists.
According to the Police boss; “Yes, there was an explosion along Dansadau road this morning and it was a bomb planted under a bridge. The motorist stepped on it and and it exploded killing one person and injured three others.
“Preliminary investigations indicated that it was remnant of Lakurawa terrorists that were being pressed by the soldiers to leave Nigeria that planted the explosive.
“The terrorists are now trying to find their way to Birnin-Gwari forest en-route Zamfara state. They are facing serious pressure from the Nigerian security to leave the country.
“By the grace of God, we will get them and deal with them decisively. All we need from the public is useful information about the movement of these terrorists.”
Meanwhile, available reports indicate that this is the second time an explosive device has been planted along the Dansadau road within a week.
It was reported that a similar explosive device was planted at Mai-Gungume village along Dansadau road, killing a commercial driver on Sunday, December 1, 2024.
A resident of Yar Tasha village, who preferred anonymity explained the situation thus; “We recently conducted community work on the road and the bandits used that opportunity to plant the device at one of the spots where we filled some potholes.
“The victims were rushed to Dansadau General Hospital and nobody can ascertain whether they are dead or alive for now. Security personnel comprising soldiers and police have been deployed to the scene of the incident.
“It appears that the bandits in Zamfara state have developed a new strategy of operation, especially in this Dansadau axis. This is the second time they are planting explosive devices in this area within a week.”
Pleading with the government to take “decisive measures to stop this trend otherwise travelling by road will now be difficult among the people of the state”, the distressed resident further said; “The security personnel and communities should be vigilant and always keep an eye on them.
“This is a terrible method deployed by the bandits and it needs to be tackled as soon as possible.”
Also, another community member, who identified himself as Abdullahi Dansadau, told Channels Television that a Volkswagen Golf 3 vehicle exploded after it ran over the explosives, killing three people, and leaving eight others injured.
“It was this morning, one Golf 3 vehicle stepped on the bomb and exploded. We have six dead bodies here now and eight others sustained injuries. The vehicle was destroyed completely,” Dansadau said.
Confirming the incident in a statement made available to the media by the Coordinator, Joint Media Coordination Centre, Joint Task Force North West Operation Fansar Yamma, Lt. Colonel Abubakar Abdullahi, said; “We acknowledge the reports regarding the suspected bandits planting explosives along the Dansadau-Gusau Road, which unfortunately led to some destruction.
“The safety and security of our citizens are of paramount importance. We are currently coordinating with local law enforcement to assess the situation and ensure that those responsible do not go free.” – With Daily Trust report
