Police Withhold Identities of Five Officers Killed in Zamfara Ambush Pending Family Notification
The Nigeria Police Force have withheld the identities of five officers killed in a bandit attack along the Sokoto-Gusau highway in Zamfara State, pending the notification of their families.
The officers were reportedly travelling from Sokoto State to Zamfara in a state-owned mass transit bus when suspected bandits ambushed them on Monday night, opening fire on the vehicle.
The personnel were said to have been deployed for a special security assignment ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area.
Sources disclosed that the attackers intercepted the vehicle and launched an attack at close range, killing five officers, while some others were reportedly abducted.
The exact number of personnel abducted remained unclear as of the time of filing the report.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 10, Sokoto, DSP Abdullahi Faruk, said the remains of the five officers had been deposited at the mortuary of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto.
Faruk confirmed that an investigation had commenced and promised that further details would be made available.
Similarly, the Zone 10 Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Ambursa, acknowledged the attack but said he was at the hospital and would provide an official statement later.
However, the Zamfara State Police Command’s spokesperson said the command was not authorised to comment on the incident because it fell under the jurisdiction of the zonal command.
Meanwhile, videos circulating on social media showed a badly damaged white-and-green Zamfara State mass transit bus riddled with bullet holes, with shattered windows and visible bloodstains.
Images from the scene also appeared to show the bodies of some officers inside the vehicle.
The Sokoto-Gusau highway has remained a major security concern, with suspected bandits frequently carrying out attacks and kidnapping travellers along the route.
