Six Killed, Six Injured in IED Explosion in Zamfara

Six people have been confirmed dead and six others injured following the explosion of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along the Bagega-Anka road in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to a report by Channels Television, the incident occurred at about 9:00 a.m. on Thursday when a commercial vehicle transporting passengers reportedly ran over the explosive device.

Residents said the explosion caused extensive damage to the vehicle and resulted in multiple casualties.

Local sources alleged that the IED was planted by suspected bandits operating within the area.

The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the incident to Channels Television in a telephone interview.

Abubakar said the six injured victims were receiving treatment for varying degrees of injuries.

He added that the police command immediately deployed its Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit to the scene to secure the area and prevent additional casualties.

According to him, the EOD team conducted a comprehensive sweep of the route to identify and neutralise any remaining explosive devices before the road was reopened to motorists and residents.

“While normalcy has been restored, our team of EOD has been deployed to the area to sweep the entire area so that another explosion will not be buried again,” Abubakar said.

Zamfara State, located in north-western Nigeria, has experienced persistent insecurity linked to armed banditry, kidnappings and attacks on rural communities in recent years.