NDLEA operatives repel gunmen on Kaduna-Zaria highway, vehicles abandoned
- NDLEA operatives engaged suspected armed robbers in a shootout on the Kaduna-Zaria highway, forcing them to flee.
- Trucks and vehicles were left abandoned, some with engines still running, according to video footage.
- Sources differ on the date: Punch reported Saturday's attack, Sahara Reporters said Monday.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled an armed robbery on the Kaduna-Zaria highway, engaging the suspected gunmen in a shootout that forced them to abandon their operation and flee.
The attackers were said to have mounted a roadblock on the highway and started robbing motorists before the operatives moved in. Nobody was kidnapped, according to an NDLEA official who spoke to Punch on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.
Video footage of the aftermath, which circulated on social media on Monday, showed several vehicles and articulated trucks left standing on the road. Some truck engines were still running, but there were no drivers or passengers inside.
In the footage, NDLEA officers are seen patrolling the area and inspecting the abandoned vehicles. One officer, speaking in Hausa, said the suspects had fled when the team arrived. Another directed colleagues to gather belongings left behind and load them into a truck for recovery.
When did it happen?
The two accounts differ on the timing. Punch reported that the incident happened around 3am on Saturday, four days before the video surfaced. Sahara Reporters said it took place at about 3am on Monday, after operatives received information about robbers operating along the road.
Punch said the operatives acted on a distress call from a victim who escaped the attackers and alerted a nearby NDLEA team. Sahara Reporters reported that the operatives mobilised after receiving information about the robbers' activities.
Both accounts agree on the core facts: the gunmen blocked the highway, NDLEA operatives confronted them, and they fled, leaving vehicles and belongings behind.
Why it matters
The Kaduna-Zaria road is a busy corridor for goods and travellers in northern Nigeria. Highway robberies and abductions along it raise costs for transporters and make travel riskier for ordinary passengers, especially at night.
When contacted, Kaduna State NDLEA spokesperson Sani Garba promised to provide details after making enquiries but had not responded as of the time of filing the report. Efforts to reach Kaduna State Police Command spokesperson DSP Mansir Hassan were unsuccessful.
It was not immediately clear whether any arrests were made or whether police had opened their own investigation into the attack.
