Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Muhammad Shehu Dalinja, has confirmed the killing of five police officers and two soldiers by bandits in Tsafe Local Government Area.
Dalinja said that the bandits blocked the highway and ambushed the security operatives along Gusau-Funtua road, adding that the terrorists.
“Five police officers and two soldiers were killed while repelling the bandits’ attack on the highway on Thursday,” he said.
Giving a genesis of the tragedy, the CP said the bandits had launched an attack on a construction company working on the highway, when a joint security detachment of the police and the soldiers mobilised to the scene.
Before they could get to the site, the bandits had laid an ambush and opened fire on them.
He narrated: “The aim of the bandits was to penetrate into the premises of Setraco Construction Company to kidnap some staff of Setraco Company. When we got the information, we immediately deployed our operatives to the scene, not knowing that they had laid an ambush on the road.
“On their way, they met heavy resistance from the bandits. They opened fire, exchanged gunfire, and in the process, we lost some army personnel and police personnel in the battle.”
