Zamfara Police say Lakurawa terrorists responsible for deadly explosion

The Zamfara State Police Command has fingered the Lakurawa terrorist sect as the mastermind of the deadly explosion that occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in the Maru Local Government Area of the state on Wednesday.

The explosion which destroyed a bridge also claimed the lives of at least 12 people while scores of others were severely injured.

According to locals, an improvised explosive device buried on the road exploded as a commercial bus passed over the explosives.

While all fingers pointed at bandits operating in the state, the
state’s Police Commissioner Muhammed Dalijan, in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday, said the attack was carried out by the newly formed Lakurawa group.

Dalijan noted that members of the Lakurawa insurgent group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

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“This Lakurawa group, when they were dislodged by the Army in Sokoto and Kebbi, the rest of them that survived the military onslaught were trying to find new enclaves,” the CP explained.

“As they were passing that village to Birnin-Gwari forest, they planted a bomb under a bridge. Then a motorist was passing and step on it. It exploded and killed the driver and three group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

“They were seen passing through a village and as we were getting reports, trying to get ourselves prepared to pursue them, this explosion happened. So, we are sure that they were the ones that planted the bomb.

“The bandits here in Zamfara don’t use bombs because they don’t know how to make it; they don’t know how to improvise explosive devices. So, we are 100% sure that they (Lakurawa) are the ones because planting bombs in Zamfara State is a new development and bandits don’t have that capacity,” he said, adding that planting of explosive devices was a new development in the state.

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