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The Zamfara State Police Command has identified members of the Lakurawa terrorist group as responsible for the deadly explosion that occurred on the Gusau-Dansadau road in Maru Local Government Area.
Muhammad Dalijan, the state’s police commissioner, disclosed this during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Thursday.
On Wednesday, a devastating explosion claimed the lives of eight people traveling to Gusau in a Golf car.
The incident occurred under a bridge along the Gusau-Dansadau road, sparking widespread speculation that the explosive device was planted by suspected bandits.
However, Dalijan stated that Lakurawa militants were spotted near the scene shortly before the blast and dismissed the possibility of bandits being involved. He emphasized that local bandit groups in Zamfara lack the technical expertise to manufacture explosives.
“This Lakurawa (group), when they were dislodged by the Army in Sokoto and Kebbi, the rest of them that survived the military onslaught were trying to find new enclaves,” Dalijan explained.
“As they were passing that village to Birnin-Gwari forest, they planted a bomb under a bridge. Then a motorist was passing and stepped on it. It exploded and killed the driver, and three other people were seriously injured.
“They were seen passing through a village and as we were getting reports, trying to get ourselves prepared to pursue them, this explosion happened. So, we are sure that they were the ones that planted the bomb.”
Dalijan reiterated that the incident marks a new development in the region, as bandits in Zamfara are not known to employ explosives.
“The bandits here (in Zamfara) don’t use bombs because they don’t know how to make it; they don’t know how to improvise explosive devices. So, we are 100% sure that Lakurawa are the ones because planting bombs in Zamfara state is a new development, and bandits don’t have that capacity,” he stated.
The Lakurawa group, reportedly migrants from Niger Republic, has recently come under increased scrutiny.