Police in Zamfara have confirmed that Armed bandits have killed five police officers and carted away their rifles following an ambush on a patrol team along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Sources from the command said report from the Tsafe Divisional Office revealed that the incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Thursday when the hoodlums, in large numbers and armed with sophisticated weapons, laid a well-coordinated ambush near Gidan Giye village.
The patrol team, comprising six personnel led by ASP John Dogara, came under heavy fire. ASP Dogara and four other officers were killed in the attack, while Inspector Ibrahim Ahmed, attached to the Transport Office, remains missing in action.
The bandits reportedly escaped with the officers’ service rifles.
Upon receiving the distress report, the Divisional Police Officer mobilized additional personnel to the scene, while the Commissioner of Police ordered the immediate deployment of more patrol teams to forestall further attacks.
Police operatives recovered one riot gun, a magazine containing 11 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, and three cartridges at the scene.
The corpses of the slain officers were evacuated to the Ahmed Sani Yariman Bakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, for post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to locate the missing inspector and recover the stolen firearms.
