At least five security personnel, including a police inspector, were killed on Monday evening after bandits ambushed them in Zamfara State.
The victims included Inspector Aliyu Ibrahim of the 1 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Kaduna, who was attached to Operation Fansan Yamma in Gusau.
According to a press statement from the 1 PMF Kaduna, the officers were on pass and travelling from Bingi Kwatarkwashi to Gusau when they were attacked. The ambush happened at Gidan Goni village along the Kwatarkwashi route in Kwatarkwashi Local Government Area.
The statement said the officers were suddenly attacked by armed bandits. Inspector Aliyu Ibrahim and five soldiers were shot dead, while some other personnel, whose identities are yet to be confirmed, sustained injuries.
The injured officers and the bodies of the deceased were taken to Yeriman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau. The injured are currently receiving treatment, while the corpses have been deposited in the hospital morgue.
The statement added that arrangements are being made in collaboration with the police component of Operation Fansan Yamma in Gusau to transport the body of the slain inspector to Kaduna for burial.
Residents have been urged to remain calm as security authorities continue investigations and await further details on the incident.
Meanwhile, similar attacks have been recorded in neighbouring states. In Sokoto State, bandits recently attacked Kyara village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area, killing seven people and abducting three others.
The village, which is close to the Niger Republic border, is said to be remote and lacks mobile phone network coverage.
In another incident in Zamfara State, a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) explosion reportedly left five people seriously injured.
Security agencies continue to battle rising banditry and violent attacks across parts of the North-West region.
