PANIC gripped Zonkwa town in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday evening after gunmen launched a daring attack on the Zonkwa Divisional Police Station, killing at least two police officers on duty.
Residents were thrown into confusion as gunfire shattered the calm of the evening, sending people running for safety.
According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers stormed the station located a few metres from Kamyim Hotel, Kurmin-Bi Zonkwa and opened fire indiscriminately.
“They came in shooting sporadically. Everyone around started running. It was terrifying,” said a witness who requested anonymity.
Sources told this newspaper that the armed men may have targeted the station in a bid to free suspected vandals earlier arrested in Kachia town.
“They believed that the suspects were being detained at the Zonkwa Police Station,” the witness said.
However, it was later discovered that the suspects were not held at the station, indicating that the attackers may have acted on false intelligence.
“By the time they realized the suspects weren’t there, the damage had already been done,” the source added grimly.
A video clip from the scene obtained by this newspaper shows two uniformed officers lying lifeless on the floor inside the station, while frightened residents later gathered around the building, discussing the attack in hushed tones.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Police Command had not issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Sources, however, confirmed that normalcy has since been restored in Zonkwa following the arrival of reinforcement teams from the area command headquarters.
Security operatives have reportedly launched a manhunt for the gunmen, who fled the scene after the assault.
