(DDM) — Tragedy struck in Nasarawa State on Wednesday as suspected armed robbers ambushed a joint security patrol team along the Idadu–Agbashi road in Doma Local Government Area, killing three operatives on duty.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the victims included a police inspector identified as Christopher Enoh, and two members of a local vigilante group, Mathew John and Augustine Yusuf, all residents of Agbashi town.
According to a security analyst, Zagazola Makama, the patrol team was on a routine operation when the assailants suddenly opened fire, catching the officers by surprise.
“The attackers also made away with an AK-47 rifle containing 30 rounds of ammunition belonging to the slain police inspector before fleeing into the nearby forest,” the source disclosed.
Residents of Agbashi said the sound of gunfire echoed across the community for several minutes, forcing people to flee from nearby farmlands and roadside shops.
Eyewitnesses told DDM that the joint patrol team had been responding to increasing reports of highway robberies and kidnappings in the area before the ambush occurred.
The remains of the victims have since been deposited at the Agbashi General Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile, a combined team of police and vigilante operatives has launched a manhunt for the attackers, with checkpoints now mounted along major routes leading to Doma, Agbashi, and Idadu.
Security experts in the state have described the attack as another grim reminder of the worsening insecurity in parts of Nasarawa, where criminal gangs have continued to target police personnel and community volunteers.
In recent months, the state has recorded a series of ambushes on law enforcement officers, prompting calls for better intelligence coordination and the urgent deployment of advanced surveillance tools in rural patrol operations.
Local residents have appealed to Governor Abdullahi Sule and the Commissioner of Police to increase security presence around Doma and its neighbouring villages to prevent further attacks.
As investigations continue, the killing of Inspector Enoh and the two vigilantes adds to the growing list of security personnel lost to armed violence in Nigeria’s North-Central region, where communities remain under the constant threat of banditry and armed robbery.
