In a bold and shocking assault on Sunday, armed bandits targeted General Lawal B. Muhammad (rtd), who currently serves as the Director General of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG). The attack took place as the bandits ambushed motorists in the Kucheri village, located within the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
According to reports, the bandits blocked the heavily traveled Funtua-Tsafe road late in the evening, launching indiscriminate attacks on motorists. Among those targeted was General Muhammad, who was traveling along the road at the time of the attack.
The situation quickly escalated into chaos, with several passengers being abducted by the armed attackers. A source from the Zamfara State Ministry of Internal Security, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed the incident to Daily Trust, revealing that General Muhammad had been wounded and is currently receiving treatment at the Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State.
“It is confirmed that the bandits shot the DG of Community Protection Guards, and he is currently receiving treatment,” the source told reporters.
This brutal attack comes in the wake of a recent surge in violence within the region. Just a few days prior, at least eight CPG personnel and a commercial driver were killed by bandits in another attack in the Tsafe Local Government Area.
The violence did not stop there, as the bandits also engaged military forces in a gunfight at Unguwar Chida village, resulting in the death of a commercial driver and injuries to three soldiers. The attack on Unguwar Chida took place just meters away from Magazu, a village situated along the same Funtua-Gusau road.
Residents reported that the two attacks, occurring in such close proximity and almost simultaneously, have heightened fears about the worsening security situation in Zamfara State. The frequency of bandit attacks has caused alarm among communities and local authorities, with concerns about the safety of both residents and travelers escalating.
In response to the attacks, General Muhammad, who was shot in the ambush, provided a statement regarding the deteriorating security conditions in the region. He said, “After I realised that bandits have made operations in Tsafe a routine exercise, I deployed 105 CPG personnel to the local government and stationed them at this particular point to protect travellers.”
He further explained that the bandits had likely set up an ambush for the CPG personnel. “Unfortunately, the bandits on Sunday ambushed my boys. I suspect that the bandits slept there because my boys used to go there early in the morning. So, while my boys were about to come down from their patrol van, the bandits opened fire and killed some of them on the spot. It is quite unfortunate,” General Muhammad added, expressing his sorrow over the loss of life during the ambush.