Joint Security Operation Rescues Kidnapped INEC Official, Foils Bandit Attacks in Zamfara

A joint operation involving the Zamfara State Police Command and military personnel has rescued a kidnapped staff member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recovered hundreds of rustled cattle, and foiled coordinated bandit attacks in Gummi, Talata Mafara and Gusau Local Government Areas.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Thursday, July 9, 2026, explaining that the successful operations followed a series of coordinated attacks launched by heavily armed bandits across the affected communities.

According to the statement, on July 7, a large group of bandits riding on about 50 motorcycles invaded villages in the Ruwan Bore District of Talata Mafara Local Government Area, rustling hundreds of cattle during the attack.

A woman was struck by a stray bullet and sustained gunshot injuries. She was immediately taken to the General Hospital in Talata Mafara, where she is receiving treatment.

The attackers later advanced into Gummi Local Government Area, where they abducted an INEC staff member, Mr. Aliyu Mohammed, who was on official duty with the National Examinations Council (NECO).

Mohammed had transported examination scripts collected from secondary schools in Gummi to Sokoto before he was intercepted and kidnapped along the Gummi–Sokoto Road.

Police operatives from the Gummi Division swiftly responded after the incident, recovering the victim's abandoned official Toyota Hilux vehicle at the Tafkin area. The examination scripts were also recovered and handed over to the Principal of Government Unity Secondary School, Gummi, Mr. Ashiru Umar, for onward delivery to the appropriate NECO office in Sokoto.

Following intelligence reports that a large number of armed bandits had regrouped inside Gando Forest after receiving reinforcements from neighbouring Sokoto and Kebbi states, the Zamfara State Police Command deployed its Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) to support military personnel already conducting operations in the area.

The joint security team engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle in the early hours of July 8. The superior firepower of the combined forces forced the criminals to flee into the forest with heavy casualties, while several escaped with gunshot wounds.

During the operation, the kidnapped INEC official and another abducted victim were rescued unharmed. Security operatives also recovered hundreds of rustled cattle, which were returned to their rightful owners.

In a separate operation later on July 8, security personnel responded to a distress call reporting the abduction of motorists and farmers at Kwanar Ganuwa in Gusau Local Government Area.

Operatives of the VCRU, supported by the Police Mobile Force (PMF), engaged the bandits in another gun battle, compelling them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding forest. All the victims were rescued safely without injuries.

The Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, CP A.M. Bello, reaffirmed the Command's commitment to sustaining aggressive operations against criminal elements and urged residents to continue supporting security agencies by promptly reporting suspicious activities.