GUNMEN suspected to be bandits yesterday killed eight security operatives during an ambush in Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, authorities confirmed.
Governor Dauda Lawal Dare, in a statement posted on Facebook, said the victims comprised police officers and members of the Community Protection Guards, a government-backed militia group, who were attacked while on patrol along the Gusau–Funtua highway.
“I just received the sad news of the death of eight security men — policemen and Community Protection Guards — who were ambushed and killed by bandits along the Gusau–Funtua road,” the governor said.
The Zamfara State Police Command also confirmed the incident, noting that five police officers lost their lives during the attack.
Police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar stated that the officers were ambushed by heavily armed bandits while on a routine patrol.
According to the statement, the security operatives engaged the assailants in a gun battle, killing several of them while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
Zamfara is among several northwestern and central Nigerian states plagued by criminal gangs locally referred to as bandits, who carry out kidnappings, cattle rustling, village raids, and highway attacks. These groups operate from forest bases that stretch across Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger states.
Since 2015, Nigerian troops have been deployed to the region to tackle banditry, but attacks have continued despite government offensives and peace deals.
Efforts such as amnesty offers and cash incentives have failed to end the violence.
Security analysts have warned that the increasing collaboration between bandit groups and jihadist militants from the northeast poses a growing national security threat.
