The quiet stretch of the Gurusu-Gwashi road in Bukkuyum has become the latest frontline in Zamfara’s brutal security crisis, after suspected bandits allegedly planted an Improvised Explosive Device along the route. The state chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has fired back, calling the move a chilling escalation that threatens to turn everyday travel into a deadly gamble.
In a sharply worded statement, NDC Publicity Secretary Alkasimu Mustapha Kayatawa did not mince words: this is no longer just about kidnappings or cattle rustling. The introduction of IEDs on public highways marks a dangerous new chapter, one that puts motorists, traders, farmers, and security forces squarely in the crosshairs. The party warns that if left unchecked, these bombs could become a sickening norm, turning rural roads into unpredictable minefields.
But the NDC’s frustration runs deeper than the immediate threat. They took a pointed swipe at the recent deployment of roughly 30 Commissioners of Police and thousands of security personnel for the Osun State governorship election. Why, they ask, can the nation summon such overwhelming force to guard ballot boxes, yet leave Zamfara’s residents to fend for themselves against a growing arsenal of explosives? The message is stark: securing lives should never take a backseat to securing votes.
The party is now demanding an urgent overhaul of security operations in Bukkuyum and other vulnerable zones. Their wish list includes sharper intelligence gathering, better bomb-disposal capabilities, relentless patrols, and a visible security presence along the region’s most exposed corridors. They are also pressing the Federal Government to reinforce operations across the area, with a specific focus on the Gurusu-Gwashi route and other major roads, to stop criminal groups from treating explosives as a routine weapon of terror.
Locally, the NDC urged the Zamfara State Government to forge tighter partnerships with federal agencies and boost community-driven intelligence networks, so that villages on the edge of the crisis are not left in the dark.
The party’s closing words carry the weight of collective grief: Zamfara has buried too many innocent citizens. Too many families have emptied their savings into ransom payments. Too many communities have been scattered. And now, the roads they depend on for survival are being rigged with death. The NDC insists that the people of Zamfara deserve the same urgency, manpower, and national attention that the country so readily mobilizes for elections. Anything less, they argue, is a failure of the most basic duty of any government: protecting its own.
