Nigerian forces operating in the country’s troubled North-West region have arrested three suspected arms traffickers and rescued six kidnapped motorists in two separate operations, security officials say.
Troops from Operation Fansan Yamma intercepted a vehicle carrying three men along a key transport route between Kaura Namoda and Shinkafi in Zamfara State. Search teams discovered an assault rifle and ammunition hidden inside a bag of millet. Military officials believe the weapons were destined for armed militia camps in the Maru local government area.
In a second engagement on the same day, security forces responded to an attack on a convoy of commuters along the Anka-Gummi highway. Arriving troops engaged the gunmen, who fled into nearby bushland and abandoned six hostages. Three of the rescued victims received medical treatment for minor injuries sustained during the ambush.
Zamfara State remains an epicentre of Nigeria’s complex security crisis, where heavily armed gangs operate out of rural forest enclaves, targeting civilians and commuters for ransom.
Military spokesman Lt Col Aliyu Danja said the latest interventions were part of a broader intelligence-driven campaign aimed at severing arms supply lines and restoring safety to major roads across the north-western states.
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