Three police officers have lost their lives after their vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device planted by terrorists in Zamfara State, in what security observers are describing as a dangerous escalation of violence in Nigeria’s troubled northwest.

The incident occurred on Monday during a routine patrol along the Anka–Bagega axis, when one of the police unit’s armoured personnel carriers struck the buried explosive device.

A media aide to Governor Dauda Lawal, Mugira Yusuf, confirmed the tragedy in a statement released on Tuesday.

The three deceased officers were identified as Superintendent of Police Abdulrazak Hassan, Inspector Murtala Musa, and Inspector Auwal Ahmad. All three were trained explosive ordnance disposal experts attached to the Zamfara State Police Command, making their deaths a particularly significant blow to the state’s counter-terrorism capabilities.

Following the explosion, armed bandits reportedly emerged from the surrounding forest and set the destroyed armoured vehicle ablaze before retreating into the bush. Efforts to reach the state police spokesperson, Yazeed Abubakar, for comment were unsuccessful as of Tuesday afternoon.

Security analysts have noted that the use of buried explosives along Zamfara’s roads signals a dangerous tactical shift in Nigeria’s northwestern security crisis. Armed groups in the region long referred to as bandits have historically relied on guerrilla tactics such as mass kidnappings, cattle rustling, and village raids using small arms.

Their apparent adoption of IED warfare, a tactic associated with insurgent groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Northeast, has raised fresh alarm among counter-terrorism experts and communities alike.

Zamfara State has long been one of the epicentres of banditry in northern Nigeria, with frequent reports of killings, abductions, and attacks on security forces despite ongoing military and police operations in the region.