Bandits Kill Infant, Abduct Passengers on Zamfara Highway

Armed bandits ambushed a passenger vehicle along the Gusau–Kasheta Kura road in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area early Tuesday, killing a one-year-old child, injuring the infant’s mother, and abducting multiple passengers.

The attack occurred around 7:30 a.m. near Unguwar Liman village, a stretch repeatedly targeted despite military operations in the region. Eyewitnesses reported assailants opening fire before forcibly removing several occupants. The infant, identified as Zainab Ibrahim, died from injuries sustained during the assault. Her 28-year-old mother, Aisha Ibrahim, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds. At least four other passengers, including traders and travelers, remain missing.

Zamfara State continues to bear the brunt of Nigeria’s banditry crisis, recording over 1,200 fatalities in 2025 and thousands abducted for ransom. The Gusau–Kasheta corridor—vital for connecting rural communities to the state capital- remains perilous despite Operation Sharan Daji, the military campaign launched in 2023 to clear bandit enclaves.

Residents expressed frustration over persistent insecurity. “We’ve reported these ambush points repeatedly,” said Sani Bello, a Birnin Magaji community leader. “Yet travelers remain unprotected. When will security reach ordinary people?”

The Zamfara State Commissioner for Information confirmed the incident and stated that security agencies have commenced search operations for the abducted victims. The Nigerian Army’s 265 Task Force Battalion in Gusau pledged intensified patrols but provided no timeline for recovery efforts.

Human rights groups condemned the killing of a child as a grave violation of humanitarian principles. For families across Zamfara’s rural corridors, such attacks have become a recurring trauma, forcing communities to restrict travel, avoid certain routes, or pay informal “security fees” to armed groups.
As Zainab’s family prepares for burial, the incident underscores a painful reality: in parts of northwest Nigeria, simply traveling a highway remains a life-threatening gamble.