NDC Sounds Alarm Over Zamfara Road IED Blast

A bomb went off on a public road in Zamfara. This time, no one died. The opposition party says Nigeria shouldn't need to keep testing its luck.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress in Zamfara State has raised the alarm following an NDC Zamfara IED Bukkuyum incident, after a suspected bandit-planted explosive device detonated along the Gurusu-Gwashi Road in Bukkuyum Local Government Area.

The Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed that the suspected IED exploded on August 12 at around 9:30 a.m., causing panic among residents and road users. Police say no lives were lost and no injuries were recorded, crediting the outcome to a swift response from its Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, which was deployed alongside the Violent Crime Response Unit to clear the scene and secure the route.

That the incident ended without casualties this time does not erase how serious the threat is. In December 2025, a similar IED attack on the very same stretch of road struck a passenger vehicle. It reportedly killed four people, a grim reminder of what this kind of device can do when it detonates on impact.

In a statement signed by Publicity Secretary Alkasimu Mustapha Kayatawa, the NDC described the use of explosives on public roads as a dangerous escalation that Zamfara cannot afford to normalize.

"The reported use of IEDs on public roads represents a dangerous escalation that must not be allowed to become a new pattern of criminality in Zamfara," the party said.

The NDC warned that drivers, farmers, traders, commuters, and even security personnel who rely on the road now face heightened risk every time they use it.

The NDC laid out a clear set of asks for federal and state authorities:

• Stronger intelligence gathering and sustained patrols along vulnerable roads and communities
• Increased security presence on major and rural roadways
• Enhanced explosive ordnance disposal capabilities
• An immediate review of security operations across Bukkuyum and other at-risk areas

"We need stronger intelligence gathering, sustained patrols and increased security presence along the roads and communities where residents remain exposed," Kayatawa said.

The party did not stop at policy recommendations. It directly questioned why Zamfara's security posture pales in comparison to the massive deployment seen during the recent Osun governorship election, where roughly 30 police commissioners and thousands of personnel were mobilized.

"The people of Zamfara should not be made to feel that securing ballot boxes attracts greater national urgency than securing their lives, homes, farms and highways," the NDC said.

The party tied this specific incident to the broader toll banditry has taken on Zamfara over the years, citing displacement, ransom payments, and repeated loss of life.

"Zamfara has buried too many innocent citizens. Too many families have paid ransoms. Too many communities have been displaced," the party said, adding bluntly: "Our roads must not now become minefields."

The NDC also urged the Zamfara State Government to deepen cooperation with federal security agencies and strengthen intelligence networks rooted in local communities, arguing that residents are often the first to notice suspicious activity.

"Community intelligence must become a critical component of the security architecture. Residents are often the first to notice unusual movements and suspicious activities," the party said.