The police in Zamfara State Police on Wednesday, February 21, said its operatives repelled a kidnap attempt by bandits on the Gusau-Sokoto Road.
It was gathered that the bandits, who were in large numbers, blocked the Gusau-Sokoto Road in an attempt to kidnap motorists plying the road.
Sources in the area claimed that the bandits succeeded in abducting 26 passengers before the arrival of the security agents.
However, the spokesman of the state Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, who confirmed the blockage of the road insisted that no one was kidnapped.
According to the PPRO, the police succeeded in chasing the bandits and foiled the kidnap attempt.
“The Zamfara State Police Command wishes to clear the air about the news going viral that bandits blocked the Gusau-Sokoto highway and abducted 26 travellers at Kwaren Kirya village under the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State,” he said.
“However, on 20 February 2024 at about 0900hrs information was received from Good Samaritans that bandits blocked the Gusau-Sokoto highway with the intent to perpetuate their nefarious acts
“On receiving the information, the Divisional Police Officer of the Maru division mobilised his anti-kidnap team in collaboration with the team of police Mobile Force deployed for quick intervention by the command headquarters. They swung into action and engaged the bandits in a gun duel
“Due to the pressure mounted on them by the two teams of policemen, the bandits took to their heels and entered the bush with possible gun wounds.
“Therefore, the command wishes to clear the misconception that the bandits abducted 26 passengers from a Toyota 18-seater bus and a Volkswagen golf vehicle is misleading information.
“None of the travellers (was) abducted as the police operatives salvaged the situation. Normalcy has been restored and adequate measures have been taken to avoid the re-occurrence of the incident.”
Abubakar urged the people of the state to continue to supply security agencies with intelligence information to aid their job of securing lives and property.
