Unending Insecurity In North West: Terrorists Abduct Legislator Along Zamfara Highway

<h4>Unending Insecurity In North West<&sol;h4>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that gunmen suspected to be armed terrorists have abducted a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly&comma; Honourable Usman Garba&comma; popularly known as Zingo&comma; in yet another brazen attack along the troubled North-West highways&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The lawmaker&comma; who represents Kajuru Constituency&comma; was reportedly kidnapped on Wednesday&comma; February 11&comma; while returning from an official engagement in Zamfara State to Kaduna&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Popular Northwest security journalist&comma; Bakatsine&comma; broke the news on X &lpar;formerly Twitter&rpar;&comma; writing&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;BREAKING&colon; Hon&period; Usman Garba Zingo has reportedly been abducted by armed bandits while traveling from Zamfara to Kaduna today&period; <&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><em><strong>&&num;8220&semi;The incident adds to growing concerns over insecurity along the highways in North-West region&comma; as calls mount for urgent action&period; How are security agencies responding to escalating abductions on highways&quest;”<&sol;strong><&sol;em><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>It was gathered that the terrorists reportedly double-crossed Garba’s vehicle near the Kaduna metropolis&comma; forcibly pulled him out and bundled him into their own vehicle&comma; leaving his driver behind&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The driver was said to have rushed to the nearest police station to report the incident&period; However&comma; by the time security operatives arrived at the scene&comma; the attackers had already fled with the lawmaker&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>As of the time of filing this report&comma; the abductors had yet to establish contact with Garba’s family members or the Kaduna State Government regarding any ransom demand&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The abduction has further heightened fears over the worsening security situation across the North-West&comma; where highways have increasingly become hunting grounds for armed gangs&period; Travellers along major routes in Kaduna&comma; Katsina&comma; Zamfara&comma; and Sokoto states have repeatedly fallen victim to kidnappings&comma; ambushes and deadly attacks&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Just a day before the lawmaker’s abduction&comma; armed bandits attacked vehicles conveying traders from Kaura Namoda Local Government Area to <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;vanguardngr&period;com&sol;">Talata Mafara<&sol;a> Local Government Area in Zamfara State&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;The terrorists opened fire on the vehicles&comma; injuring several passengers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The wounded traders are currently receiving treatment at Mafara Hospital&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;SaharaReporters had also reported that two police inspectors and four civilians were killed after heavily armed bandits stormed Tse-Kaseve village in Anyagba Ward&comma; Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The attack&comma; which occurred at about 4&colon;00 p&period;m&period; on Monday&comma; reportedly saw scores of gunmen riding on nearly 100 motorcycles invade the community in a coordinated assault&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Security sources told Zagazola Makama&comma; a security expert&comma; that the attackers attempted to overrun the village market and unleash a massacre on residents before they were confronted by security operatives&period;<br &sol;>&NewLine;&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Eleven Police Mobile Force &lpar;PMF&rpar; personnel on special duty in the town&comma; working with members of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard&comma; confronted and repelled the attackers&comma;” the sources said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>However&comma; the situation turned deadly when the bandits allegedly ambushed two officers — Inspector Adams Saidu and Inspector Edem Endimon&comma; both of 11 PMF&comma; Calabar — shooting them dead and carting away their service rifles&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The sources further disclosed that four civilians were killed during the assault&comma; while another resident sustained injuries and was rushed to Katsina-Ala Hospital for treatment&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;