At least 22 people, including security personnel, were killed when suspected terrorists ambushed traders travelling under Nigerian Army escort in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

The attack occurred along the route between Gurusu and Gwashi as the traders travelled to a weekly market. A resident said several traders and members of their security escort were killed, while others sustained injuries.

According to the resident, injured victims were taken to Bukkuyum General Hospital for emergency treatment.

A separate account by journalist Malik Samuel identified the convoy’s destination as Nasarawa Market. Samuel reported that wounded victims were evacuated to Anka General Hospital, where he said blood supplies were limited.

Casualty Accounts Differ

While the initial report put the number feared dead at no fewer than 22, Samuel separately reported four soldiers, three policemen, one civil defence officer and 19 civilians killed—a total of 27.

In a quoted post on X, he also said 12 civilian bodies had been recovered at that stage.

The accounts differed on the timing of the ambush. The initial report placed it in the early hours of Sunday, while Samuel described an afternoon attack.

No official casualty breakdown from the Nigerian Army or the Zamfara State Police Command was available in the reports.

The attack has renewed fears about travel between rural communities in Bukkuyum, where weekly markets provide an important source of income and access to essential goods.

The presence of a military escort underscores the security risks confronting traders travelling through the area.

Insecurity has also featured in political developments in the state, including complaints cited in the resignation letters of Zamfara lawmakers who left the APC.

Elsewhere, attacks on travellers have prompted security interventions, including the rescue of abducted people following a gun battle in Itobe, Kogi State.

The official number of casualties and identities of victims in Sunday’s Zamfara ambush are still awaited.