Terrorists on Sunday shot the Director General of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG), Brigadier General Lawal B. Muhammad (rtd).
General Muhammad was shot by the terrorists during an attack on motorists at Kucheri village in Tsafe Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.
The terrorists reportedly blocked the busy Funtua-Tsafe road late evening, and attacked motorists including the CPG’s DG, abducting scores of passengers.
In January 2022, the federal government, in volume 108 of the Federal Republic of Nigerian official Gazette titled,Terrorism (Prevention) Proscription Order Notice, 2021” proscribed bandit groups in Nigeria as terrorists.
This followed the ruling by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in November 2021 which held that the activities of Yan Bindiga and Yan Ta’adda bandit groups, constitute acts of terrorism.
A source from the Zamfara State Ministry of Internal Security, who preferred anonymity because he was not authourised to speak to the media, confirmed the incident and said the DG was receiving medical 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 the terrorists killed at least eight CPG personnel and a commercial driver in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the terrorists ambushed the CPG personnel before killing them.
The terrorists also engaged troops of the Nigerian Army 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 General who was shot, had 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.”
Zamfara is one of the NorthWest States badly affected by banditry being perpetrated by the terrorists. Despite efforts by the government to contain the outlaws, they have continued wreaking havoc.
@Daily Trust
