Umar Moriki killed on the Gusau Tsafe highway as Zamfara APC mourns a loyal party chieftain whose death deepens concerns over rising insecurity

Umar Moriki killed has continued to dominate conversations across Zamfara State after the All Progressives Congress confirmed that the veteran party chieftain was shot dead by suspected armed bandits.

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The tragic incident occurred on Saturday morning along the Gusau Tsafe highway near Fegi village while he was travelling from Gusau to Kaduna.

The Zamfara APC leadership described his death as a shocking and painful blow to the party and the state.

The Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said Moriki had only just left a stakeholders’ meeting hosted by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, before the fatal attack.

Moriki was respected across political circles for his long and influential career. He previously served as Vice Chairman of Zurmi Local Government Area, Director General of a state agency, and Special Adviser on Rural Electrification.

He also contested for the Zurmi Shinkafi House of Representatives seat in the 2023 elections.

The late politician, aged 62, is survived by three wives and several children. Party leaders praised him as a committed community advocate whose work in public service left a powerful footprint in rural development.

Concerns over insecurity intensified after reports showed that a similar attack occurred only a month earlier in the same state, where five policemen and three Community Protection Guards were killed in an ambush.

According to an indigene, Yau Musa, the security agents were approaching Gidan Giye village when bandits emerged from hiding and opened fire on their vehicle.

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The latest killing has renewed calls for stronger security interventions in Zamfara, where highway attacks have become distressingly frequent and devastating.