The Sokoto-Gusau has become an endangered highway with terrorists launching attacks daily.
Six people were killed while one person was wounded when terrorists attacked a Zamfara community Tuesday night, residents said.
The attack took place in Nahuce, Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The attack occurred a day after another gang of terrorists abducted an unknown number of motorists on the Gusau-Sokoto federal highway.
In the Nahuce attack, PREMIUM TIMES gathered that terrorists invaded the community some minutes to 11:00 p.m. and began shooting indiscriminately.
"The attackers faced resistance from security agents in the town but six of our people lost their lives during the attack," Abdulhadi Rabiu, a resident of Nahuce told this newspaper on Wednesday. "If not for the security agents and vigilante group members, the number of casualties would have been more than that."
The resident said the terrorists separated themselves into different areas of the town which made it difficult for security agents to arrest or kill any of them.
He, however, said the exchange of fire between them and security agents stopped them from killing or abducting more people.
"We've not heard of any case of abduction. Six people lost their lives while one person was injured. He is now at the hospital. The security agents did well because, in the end, the terrorists had to retreat," Mr Rabiu said.
Motorists abducted
On Monday evening around 7:40 p.m., terrorists blocked the Gusau-Sokoto highway and abducted several motorists going to Gusau.
The attack occurred around Kwanar Sado, a few kilometres from Talata Mafara town.
Rabiatu Shehu, who narrowly escaped the attack, told PREMIUM TIMES that passengers from three vehicles were abducted by the terrorists.
"We were driving towards Gusau when suddenly a driver coming from Gusau waved and shouted at our driver to return. But we didn't understand what he meant so we continued moving until when another vehicle also from the Gusau side alerted us to stop.
"We stopped there with other vehicles until a military vehicle came from Mafara and cleared the road but the passengers had already been taken. We waited for some minutes before continuing the journey. When we got to the spot, we saw three vehicles with all their doors opened," Ms Shehu said.
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A vigilante from Talata Mafara who spoke on condition of anonymity said some motorists had been warned not to ply the road in the evening.
"The terrorists were sighted around 04:00 p.m. returning from Sado where they attended the wedding ceremony of another terrorist but we didn't think they'd stay around the area to launch the attack. Perhaps, they hid behind the two quarry sites in the area and waited for evening," the vigilante said.
He said the road has now become "one of the most dangerous" to ply especially in the evening and early morning.
The vigilante said the terrorists have several camps close to the Bakalori dam in Talata Mafara.
The police spokesperson in the state, Yazid Abubakar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the attacks.
The North-west region, especially Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and a part of Niger State, has witnessed a high rate of attacks by terrorists, locally called bandits, for about a decade.
The terrorists kill and abduct residents from communities, schools, places of worship and highways and demand huge ransom before releasing the abductees.
