IED explosion damages trailer on Zamfara highway

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated early Wednesday along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Zamfara State, damaging a trailer carrying cement at Unguwar Mai Chida and causing traffic disruption.

The explosive is suspected to have been planted by bandits amid intensified security operations in the area.

The blast destroyed the front section of the truck, which was travelling from Sokoto to Kaduna, but no casualties were recorded. The driver, Dauda Adamu, was rescued alive.

Confirming the incident, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, said joint tactical teams — particularly Explosive Ordnance Disposal units — identified and safely detonated several IEDs along the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta axis despite coming under attack.

According to him, operatives survived the ambush, repelled the attackers and successfully reopened the road to traffic, preventing prolonged disruption to the movement of food and other essential supplies.

Maikaba added that joint security operations would continue, alongside additional tactical measures, to restore normalcy across affected communities.

A resident, Hussaini Mohammed, said the explosion occurred hours after security personnel cleared and reopened the Kucheri–Danjibga–Keta road in Tsafe Local Government Area, which had remained inaccessible for more than a month due to explosives.

He noted that the clearance operation led to a prolonged gun battle after security operatives were ambushed by bandits, leaving the area tense.

Mohammed suggested that the device that struck the trailer might have been among those initially planted to target security forces.

Another eyewitness, commercial driver Lawal Senior, said he helped pull the driver from the damaged truck.

He described the explosion as extremely loud, causing panic among motorists, many of whom stopped at a safe distance until security personnel arrived to secure and clear the highway.