At least 10 people have been killed and seven others injured after a commercial vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State, police sources said Thursday.
The blast occurred on Monday evening along the Bagega-Anka road in Anka Local Government Area, when a Volkswagen Golf wagon carrying passengers from Bagega to Anka hit the explosive device at around 6:15 p.m. local time.
Security sources said the explosion destroyed the vehicle and left several passengers dead at the scene. The wounded were taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
Zamfara State police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said a joint security team had been deployed to the area to secure the route and prevent further attacks.
He said the team included officers from the state police command’s Violent Crime Response Unit and civil security volunteers, operating under the direction of the state police commissioner. Investigations into the explosion are ongoing.
Authorities believe the device was planted by armed criminal groups locally known as bandits. Such groups have operated for years across Zamfara and neighboring states, carrying out kidnappings, killings and attacks on rural communities.
The latest blast has deepened concerns over the growing use of explosives by armed gangs in northwestern Nigeria, a region already struggling with persistent insecurity despite repeated military operations.
The Bagega-Anka road has seen similar attacks in recent months. In May, at least six people were killed and several others injured when another commercial vehicle reportedly struck an explosive device on the same route.
After that incident, security forces carried out clearance operations and temporarily restricted movement along parts of the road.
Zamfara remains one of the states worst affected by bandit violence in Nigeria. Armed groups operating from forest hideouts have increasingly targeted roads, villages and travelers, raising fears that the use of improvised explosive devices is spreading beyond Nigeria’s northeast, where such weapons have long been associated with insurgent groups.