Several people were said to have been abducted.

An unknown number of persons have been killed while several others were abducted Wednesday afternoon when terrorists attacked motorists on the Funtua - Gusau highway in Zamfara State.

Several others were also wounded in the attack. One of those wounded was the immediate former House of Representatives member of Mafara/Anka (Zamfara State) Kabiru Yahaya.

His media aide, Musbahu Aliyu, said the attackers blocked the highway between Kucheri - Magazu in Tsafe Local Government around 3:30 p.m.

"The terrorists timed the arrival of vehicles to and from Gusau and started to shoot indiscriminately which led to the blockage of the road," he said.

He said his principal was the only one taken to Tsafe General Hospital alive.

"No one knows the number of those killed or abducted. They abducted all the passengers in the first vehicle," Mr Aliyu said.

He added that the politician had been transferred to another health facility in the state capital, Gusau.

Another source, who only gave his name as Murtala, said the attack occurred a few minutes after he passed the spot.

He said he heard the sounds of gunshots minutes before reaching Tsafe. He said he saw several military vehicles racing towards the scene of the attack.

The attack on Wednesday occurred a few days after terrorists attacked a police checkpoint a few metres from Tsafe town. Three policemen were said to have been killed in that attack.

The police spokesperson in the state, Yazid Abubakar, didn't respond to calls and SMS sent to him for comment about the attack.

Terrorists operating in the North-west have over the years been terrorising communities, schools, places of worship and highways which has led to the death and displacement of hundreds of people.