Bandits shot the Director-General of the Zamfara State Community Protection Guards (CPG), General Lawal B. Muhammad (retired), during an attack on motorists Saturday evening in Kucheri village, Tsafe County of the Northwest State. The CPG is a government-sponsored local security initiative, similar to a neighborhood watch, tasked with patrolling communities and protecting residents from violent groups.
The gunmen blocked the busy Funtua–Tsafe road and attacked motorists, including General Muhammad. Scores of passengers were abducted during the operation, according to reports.
A source from the Zamfara State Ministry of Internal Security confirmed the incident, stating, “It is confirmed that the bandits shot DG Community Protection Guards and he is currently receiving (medical) treatment.”
This attack follows a similar incident just days earlier when bandits killed eight CPG personnel and a commercial driver in the same area. The attackers reportedly engaged the security forces in a gun duel. Reacting to the attack, General Muhammad had expressed his frustration with the bandits’ routine operations and had deployed 105 CPG personnel to the area to protect travelers.
Despite efforts by the government to contain the bandit groups in Zamfara, the State remains a hotspot for banditry. Zamfara is one of the Northwest States severely affected by the violence.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
