Security operatives have successfully neutralised an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by suspected terrorists along the Danjibga-Kuncin Kalgo axis in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The operation was carried out by a combined force of the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (EOD–CBRN) Unit, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, and the Military EOD, with heavy security backup from the Zamfara State Police Command.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the spokesman of the police command, Yazid Abubakar, said the operation, which took place on Friday, was led by SP Abdulrazak Musa Hassan.

He said the security team applied standard Render Safe Procedures (RSP) to professionally and safely neutralise a pressure-plate IED discovered at the location.

“The explosive components were recovered and secured for further forensic examination,” Abubakar said.

The command’s spokesman stated that following a comprehensive sweep and technical assessment of the area, the axis was declared safe and free of any additional IED threats, thereby restoring safety for commuters and residents.

He called on members of the public to remain vigilant and to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support ongoing security efforts across the state.

Zamfara is one of the states affected by banditry, who have wreaked havoc despite the presence of security operatives in the area.

For years, non-state actors have been intensifying attacks in rural areas of northwest and central Nigeria, killing thousands and conducting kidnappings for ransom.

The gangs have camps in a vast forest straddling several states, including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger, from where they launch attacks.

Between July last year and June 2025, at least 4,722 people were kidnapped in 997 incidents, and at least 762 were killed, according to a recent report by SBM Intelligence.

It said kidnappers demanded some ₦48 billion overall but only managed to get ₦2.57 billion (around $1.66 million).

During that period, “Nigeria’s kidnap-for-ransom crisis consolidated into a structured, profit-seeking industry,” said the Lagos-based security advisory firm.

Last November, US President Donald Trump threatened Nigeria with military action over the alleged killing of Christians in large numbers by radical Islamists. (Channels TV)

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