Armed bandits killed five policemen and three Community Protection Guards during a patrol along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, residents and officials said on Friday.
The attack occurred on Thursday evening near Gidan-Giye village, a few kilometres from Tsafe town, when gunmen hiding in nearby bushes opened fire on a police patrol vehicle, killing all eight occupants on the spot, a resident, Ya’u Musa, told newsmen.
“The bandits suddenly opened fire on the patrol team. All the policemen and guards died instantly before the attackers fled on motorcycles into the forest,” Musa said.
He added that the bodies of the victims were later taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau, the state capital.
Local officials said the slain officers were attached to the Zamfara State Government House and had been deployed to the Gusau–Funtua Road to provide protection for travellers following repeated bandit attacks in the area.
Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal confirmed the incident in a statement posted on his official Facebook page, describing the attack as “a great loss to the state.”
“I just received the sad news of the death of eight security personnel, comprising policemen and Community Protection Guards, who were ambushed and killed by bandits along the Gusau–Funtua Road,” Lawal wrote. “May Allah forgive them and grant their families the fortitude to bear the loss.”
Northwest Nigeria has faced escalating violence from armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who raid villages, kidnap residents for ransom, and target security forces in the region’s ongoing security crisis.