FIVE policemen have been killed and one declared missing after armed bandits ambushed a police patrol team on Thursday in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A resident of Tsafe, who spoke to News Point Nigeria on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the police team was carrying out its daily patrol when armed bandits suddenly opened fire on them.
According to the source, the bodies of five police personnel were later recovered from the scene, while one officer remains missing as security operatives continue to comb the area.
The remains of the slain policemen were taken to Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau, the state capital.
Confirming the incident to this newspaper in a telephone conversation, the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said the attack occurred along the Tsafe–Funtua highway during a routine patrol.
He said additional security reinforcements have been deployed to the area, while a search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to locate the missing officer and track down the attackers.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has expressed deep sorrow over the killing of security personnel in the ambush by bandits.
The governor, in a statement posted on his verified Facebook page, confirmed that eight security operatives, including five policemen, were killed in the deadly attack along the Funtua–Gusau Road.
“I received an unpleasant report of an ambush by bandits on police security officers and soldiers on the road from Funtuwa to Gusau where they killed eight officers,” the governor said.
Governor Lawal extended his condolences to the families of the fallen officers, praying for the repose of their souls and strength for their loved ones.
“May Allah (T) have mercy on them, and give their families and relatives patience for this loss. We ask Allah (T) to put an end to this security problem in the whole of Zamfara State, the North and Nigeria as a whole.”
