Bandits Ambush Security Convoy, Kill Policemen, Soldiers In Zamfara

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

No fewer than eight Security Personnel early Thursday morning September 12, 2024, lost their lives in a fatal attack by suspected bandits in Zamfara State .

Five Police men, three soldiers, were killed. A number of others sustained varying degrees of injuries, following  the ambush. The Security Team was escorting some construction workers to site in Tsafe  Local Council of the State.

The Source reports that Thursday’s ambush came on the heels of the abduction on Wednesday September 11, of several travelers by  suspected bandits on the Gusau/Funtua road .

Zamfara and neighbouring Katsina State are two of the most severely affected by banditry and other criminal activities in the North West region of Nigeria.

According to information from both Security Personnel and Locals ,the combined team of Security operatives was escorting workers of the construction giant- Setraco to site when they were ambushed and attacked.

Before help could come from security formations, five policemen and three soldiers had paid the supreme price .

However, the security intervention was said to have averted more casualties, and the abduction of the Workers, who were the primary target of the bandits.

“Troops escorting Setraco workers on their way to Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara encountered an ambush.

“Unfortunately, we lost three soldiers and five policemen ,and their riffles were taken by the terrorists.

“But despite the ambush and the loss, troops neutralized many of the terrorists during a fierce gun battle that followed the ambush”, a source revealed.

Bodies of the deceased Securityu Personnel, according to the Zamfara State Police Command spokesperson, Yalzid Abubakar, have been retrieved.

He informed that a detailed statement will be made as soon as  the team dispatched to the scene turn in  their report.

The Source reports that of late, bandits within the Zamfara/Kebbi/Sokoto axis have been operating with unprecedented audacity.

This has led to the abductions and killings of several people, including high profile figures such as the District Head of Gatawa in Sabon Birnin local councils of Sokoto State , Alhaji  Abdullahi Bawa Isah.

The unfortunate surge in banditry activities have since forced the Federal Government to direct Security Chiefs ,including Minister for Defence(State),  Bello Matawalle, to relocate to the Zone.