Armed bandits have killed five policemen and three members of the Community Protection Guards in an ambush along the Gusau–Funtua highway in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
According to eyewitness Ya’u Musa, the attack occurred on Thursday evening as the security operatives approached Gidan-Giye village, a few kilometers from Tsafe town.
The bandits, reportedly acting on a tip-off, emerged from their hiding spots and opened fire on the patrol vehicle, killing all eight personnel instantly.
Musa explained that the security team had been assigned from Government House, Gusau, to protect travelers along the highway, which has been plagued by frequent bandit attacks.
“Unfortunately, a few minutes after leaving Tsafe town, we heard gunshots near Gidan-Giye village. The bandits, who were hiding beside the road, struck swiftly, killing all of them instantly. Within moments, they fled into the forest on motorcycles,” he recounted.
The victims’ bodies were later transported to the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau.
Reacting to the tragedy, Governor Dauda Lawal expressed profound grief and extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.
In a statement on his Facebook page, he wrote, “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. 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–Funtuwa road. May Allah forgive them and grant their families the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
The governor also called for an end to the insecurity plaguing Zamfara State and the nation as a whole.
