Five police officers and three soldiers were killed by bandits during a deadly ambush on Thursday morning in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The attack occurred as the security operatives were escorting workers of the construction company Setraco Nigeria Limited.
A military source confirmed the tragic event to SaharaReporters, revealing that the security personnel were caught off guard when the terrorists opened fire.
The ambush resulted in the death of eight security personnel, including five police officers and three soldiers.
However, a prompt and swift response by the military prevented further casualties among the Setraco workers and the remaining security personnel.
“The troops escorting Setraco workers on their way to Tsafe LGA in Zamfara encountered an ambush.
“Unfortunately, we lost three soldiers and five policemen, and their rifles were taken by the terrorists,” the military source said.
Despite the tragic loss, the source added that several terrorists were killed in a fierce gun battle that followed the ambush.
“Police have evacuated the bodies of both the personnel and the bandits,” the source added.
This incident follows closely on the heels of another report, which detailed how bandits blocked the busy Gusau-Funtua highway in Zamfara State, abducting an unspecified number of travellers.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, Yezid Abubakar, confirmed the highway abduction, stating that the police had deployed personnel to the scene but were still awaiting a full briefing on the number of victims.
