An improvised explosive device (IED)
has damaged a cement-laden trailer near Unguwar Mai Chida village in Zamfara
State, causing significant traffic disruption but no fatalities.
Local sources said the suspected
terrorist-planted device detonated as the truck, travelling from Sokoto to
Kaduna, passed through the area. The explosion severely damaged the head of the
vehicle.
Residents confirmed that the driver
was rescued alive following the blast.
A witness, identified as Samaila,
disclosed that the explosion occurred just hours after a joint police and
military team reopened the Kucheri-Danjibga-Keta road in Tsafe Local Government
Area. The road had reportedly remained closed for over a month due to planted
explosives.
He noted that security operatives
had faced armed resistance during earlier clearance operations, resulting in a
prolonged gun battle. According to him, the device that struck the trailer may
have been one of the explosives originally planted to target security
personnel.
Another eyewitness, Lawali, a
commercial driver, said motorists worked together to rescue the injured driver,
identified as Dauda Adamu. He described the explosion as deafening, sparking
panic among road users who immediately parked at a safe distance.
Spokesperson of the Zamfara State
Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident to Channels
Television, stating that officers from the Explosive Ordnance Department had
been deployed to the scene.
Last Thursday, a Nigerian Army
Armoured Personnel Carrier reportedly struck a planted explosive along the
Keta-Danjibga road in the same local government area.
Suspected terrorists have detonated
an explosive device along a major highway in Zamfara State, damaging a
commercial trailer and disrupting traffic flow.
The blast occurred near Unguwar Mai
Chida village as a truck transporting cement from Sokoto to Kaduna travelled
through the route. The vehicle sustained extensive damage to its front section,
though the driver survived.
Residents said the explosion came
shortly after security forces reopened the Kucheri-Danjibga-Keta road in Tsafe
Local Government Area following weeks of closure due to planted explosives.
Sources revealed that earlier
clearance efforts by security operatives had triggered an exchange of gunfire
with suspected insurgents.
Eyewitnesses said motorists halted
at a safe distance after the loud explosion until military and other security
agencies secured the highway.
The Zamfara State Police Command
confirmed that its bomb disposal unit had been dispatched to investigate and
clear the area.
The latest incident comes days after
a Nigerian Army Armoured Personnel Carrier encountered a similar explosive
device along the Keta-Danjibga axis.
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