Panic As Bandits Shoot Retired General Heading Zamfara Community Guards

On Sunday, a group of armed men believed to be terrorists shot General Lawal B. Muhammad (rtd), the Director General of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG), according to Daily Trust reports.

It was learned that General Muhammad was shot by the terrorists when they invaded Kucheri village in Tsafe local government area of the state.

The Head of Community Guard was shot when the terrorists attacked motorists in the community. 

The terrorists were said to have blocked Funtua-Tsafe Road late in the evening and attacked motorists including the CPG’s DG.

Scores of passengers were reportedly abducted by the bandits during the operation.

A source from the Zamfara State Ministry of Internal Security said the DG was receiving treatment at a hospital in Gusau, the state capital.

“It is confirmed that the bandits shot DG Community Protection Guards and he is currently receiving treatment at Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital,” the source said.

The attack comes days after bandits killed at least eight CPG personnel and a commercial driver in the Tsafe Local Government Area of the state.

Eyewitness accounts revealed that the bandits ambushed the CPG personnel before killing them.

The bandits also engaged soldiers in a gun duel at Unguwar Chida village, killing a commercial driver and injuring three soldiers.

Unguwar Chida is a village just a few metres away from Magazu on the same Funtua-Gusau Road.

The two separate attacks, according to a resident of Unguwar Chida, were carried out almost at the same time.

Reacting to that attack, the injured retired military 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.

“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.”

All efforts made by SaharaReporters to reach the Zamfara State Police Spokesman, Yezid Abubakar, for comments did not succeed. He did not answer his calls and also did not reply to the text messages sent to him.