NDLEA Stops Robbery on Kaduna-Zaria Highway

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have stopped an armed robbery on the Kaduna-Zaria Highway. They engaged suspected gunmen in a shootout, making them flee and leave behind several vehicles and trucks.

PUNCH Metro found out on Tuesday that this happened around 3am on Saturday. The suspected robbers set up a roadblock and started attacking drivers.

A senior NDLEA official, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed the incident. He said the operatives responded to a distress call from a victim who managed to escape from the robbers.

The official explained that the victim alerted the NDLEA officers nearby. This led the operatives to rush in and confront the suspected robbers.

"Our men responded immediately after receiving the distress call. They engaged the armed men in a gun duel and successfully repelled the attack," he said.

He added that their quick action stopped the robbers from kidnapping anyone.

"Fortunately, nobody was kidnapped during the incident. Our men arrived in time, confronted the attackers, and forced them to abandon their operation and flee," he said.

The official also mentioned that this incident happened four days before a video of the encounter circulated on social media on Monday.

The footage, which The PUNCH Metro obtained, showed many vehicles and trucks left behind on the highway. Some of the trucks had their engines still running, but there were no drivers or passengers in sight.

NDLEA operatives were seen patrolling the area. They inspected the abandoned vehicles and belongings.

In the video, one officer, speaking in Hausa, said the robbers had run away after the NDLEA operatives arrived.

"They have fled. Look at these people’s belongings," the officer said.

Another officer told his colleagues to gather the abandoned items and load them onto a truck for recovery.

When we tried to reach the Kaduna State NDLEA Public Relations Officer, Sani Garba, he said he would provide more details after checking but had not responded by the time of this report.

We also tried to contact the Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, for comments but could not reach him by phone.