A joint security operation in Zamfara State has thwarted an attempted bandit attack on Kanoma Town and Gidan Daji Village in Kanoma District of Maru Local Government Area, resulting in the death of six suspected attackers.

The development was disclosed on Wednesday by the spokesperson of the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar.

According to Abubakar, the incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Tuesday when a large number of armed bandits stormed the two communities with an array of sophisticated weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, general-purpose machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and AK-47 rifles.

He explained that following a distress call, a joint security team comprising police tactical operatives from the Maru Division, military personnel attached to Operation Fansar Yamma, operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit and local vigilantes was immediately deployed to the affected area.

The security personnel engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to abandon the operation and retreat from the communities. During the exchange, six suspected bandits travelling on two motorcycles were killed.

Abubakar stated that several other suspects fled into nearby forests with suspected gunshot injuries, while no casualties were recorded among security operatives or residents of the affected communities.

He added that security presence in the area had been strengthened, with ongoing patrols aimed at maintaining calm, reassuring residents and tracking down the fleeing suspects.

The police spokesperson reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, urging members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with credible and timely information.

The latest operation comes less than a day after the command announced that another joint security team had successfully repelled a bandit attack along Gadar Manya in Anka Local Government Area following a gun battle that lasted about two hours.