The Chief of Staff to the Zamfara State Governor, Mouktar Lugga, survived an ambush by gunmen on the Gusau–Funtua highway Thursday evening. Around 6:00 p.m., near Kucheri village in Tsafe Local Government Area, armed men opened fire on his convoy from both sides of the road. A bullet shattered the windscreen of Lugga's vehicle but missed the driver. One attacker's weapon reportedly failed during the assault. Despite the gunfire, the driver escaped the scene unharmed, with no injuries recorded among the convoy occupants. Lugga confirmed the incident in a phone interview with Channels Television, stating, "They emerged from the bush and shot at my vehicle, but Alhamdulillah, we are all safe. The bullet did not hit anyone." The attack adds to a growing list of violent incidents targeting travellers and officials along major roads in Zamfara State, where armed groups continue to operate with relative impunity.
That Mouktar Lugga's car was hit but no one injured stretches credibility given the location and timing of the attack—either the gunmen missed repeatedly or the encounter was more staged than spontaneous. For ordinary Nigerians plying the same route, such incidents confirm that no level of government protection guarantees safety on Zamfara roads. The state's persistent failure to secure major highways means even top officials are now targets, let alone civilians. If convoys with security details can be ambushed at dusk, rural travellers without protection face far graver risks.
