Terrorists Kill 5 Soldiers at Military Checkpoint in Zamfara

Terrorists attacked a military checkpoint in the Zurmi area of Zamfara, North West Nigeria, killing five soldiers and injuring two others.

The attack happened on Monday, Nov. 4, around 6:30 a.m. at the Gidan Danzara military checkpoint in Zurmi town. The terrorists also killed a woman on the highway, while the two injured soldiers were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre for treatment in Gusau, the

state capital.

The armed group had targeted security operatives in Zurmi on several occasions, ambushing them to bypass military offensives in the area. For over a decade, the terrorists launched attacks on unarmed civilians from their forest bases in the state. HumAngle had reported several instances of terrorist attacks on public infrastructure in Zurmi, including the destruction of a telecommunication mask to prevent residents from calling for help in the area.

Residents who spoke to HumAngle said the recent attack was retaliation over the ongoing military operations against the terrorists. The military had combed several ungoverned spaces in the state, dislodging dozens of them in the past months.

Ukasha Garba, 29, a resident of Kanwa, was impressed when he saw “the military’s great job” during a recent visit to Moriki, a village in the Zurmi area. He believes the terrorists are threatened by the activities of the military, prompting the attack on their checkpoint.

“Because of the presence of the security officials and the Community Protection Guards (CPGs) in our areas, we spent about four months without any attack on our communities by the armed criminal gangs,” Muhammad Maigari, another resident in the area, told HumAngle, corroborating Ukasha.

“Sadly, today we were all surprised seeing the terrorists invading the military checkpoint to attack and kill them. This is outrageous and highly unacceptable. We have no one to humanely protect us except this military and the CPGs we trust,” Muhammad added.

Manir Furagirke, a local analyst familiar with the security situation in the region, told HumAngle that armed groups in Zurmi, Tsafe, Bukuyum and Maru local government areas resort to attacking security operatives manning checkpoints when they are unable to raid communities. He noted that the sudden shift from the routine of mass killing, abduction, and cattle rustling is a huge setback for the terrorists.

When contacted, Yazid Abubakar, the police public relations officer in Zamfara, confirmed the incident but noted that the police could not speak for the military on the matter. “It is not in our jurisdiction to respond to your inquiry,” he said. “If it were the police, I would have spoken about it.”