Armed bandits ambushed and killed eight security personnel in Zamfara State on Thursday, officials have confirmed.
The attack took place along the Gusau-Funtua highway, a known hotspot for criminal activity in Nigeria’s troubled northwest.
The victims included both police officers and members of the Community Protection Guards, a government-backed local militia, according to Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal Dare.
“I just received the heartbreaking news of the death of eight security men, comprising policemen and Community Protection Guards, who were ambushed and killed by bandits,” the governor wrote in a Facebook post.
The Zamfara State Police Command separately confirmed that five police officers were killed in the incident.
In their statement, the police said the officers were on routine patrol when they came under heavy fire from a group of armed bandits.
“They were ambushed by several armed bandits while on routine patrol,” the statement read.
“Our officers engaged the attackers in a gunfight, during which several of the bandits were neutralized, while others escaped.”
The statement, however, did not mention the three militia members also reported dead by the governor.
Zamfara is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria that have suffered years of violence from heavily armed gangs, commonly referred to as bandits.
These groups routinely engage in village raids, cattle rustling, mass kidnappings for ransom as well as armed attacks on travelers and security personnel.
They operate from remote camps hidden in forests that span Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Niger States, launching attacks with little warning.
Since 2015, the Nigerian military has been deployed to combat the rising insecurity in the region.
However, the situation has shown little improvement.
Past government efforts, including amnesty programs and cash incentives, have failed to stop the bloodshed.
In some areas, communities have attempted peace deals with the bandits, particularly in Katsina and Kaduna states.
But security analysts warn that these arrangements may be used by the criminals to regroup and strengthen their foothold in the region.
Although the primary motivation of these gangs is financial gain, authorities have raised concerns over their growing ties with jihadist groups operating in Nigeria’s northeast, raising fears of a wider security crisis.
