A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Umar Moriki, has been killed by suspected bandits along the Gusau–Tsafe highway.
The incident occurred on Saturday morning near Fegi village in Tsafe Local Government Area while Moriki was travelling from Gusau to Kaduna, according to Channels Television.
The APC in the state confirmed his death, describing it as a painful loss to the party and the people of Zamfara. In a statement, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said the late politician had earlier attended a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.
Moriki, 62, was a former Vice Chairman of Zurmi Local Government Area and had served as Director-General of a state agency. He was also a Special Adviser on Rural Electrification and contested the Zurmi/Shinkafi House of Representatives seat in the 2023 elections. He is survived by three wives and several children.
The party described him as a dedicated grassroots politician and community leader who contributed immensely to public service and humanitarian causes.
Saturday’s killing adds to a series of recent deadly attacks in Zamfara. Last month, five policemen and three Community Protection Guards were ambushed and killed by bandits in the state.
A resident, Ya’u Musa, said the security operatives were on patrol near Gidan-Giye village, a few kilometres from Tsafe town, when the attackers emerged from hiding and opened fire on their vehicle.
