At least five officers of the Nigeria Police Force were reportedly killed in a recent attack by bandits in Zamfara State.
A police source confirmed the identity of the slain officers, who are said to be of the rank of Inspectors.
According to SaharaReporters, the source revealed that the bandits, suspected to have links to the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), ambushed security operatives during a joint operation with the military at Magami, a community in Zamfara State near the Niger Republic.
He explained that the Police Inspectors were part of Operation Hadarin Daji – the joint exercise launched against bandits and other criminals in the North-West region and coordinated by the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.
The source reportedly claimed that the police inspectors were members of his unit. He said they were killed in the ambush, which happened in the early hours of Tuesday, July 25, 2023.
The Identity Of The Slain Police Inspectors
The source revealed the identity of the deceased officers as Inspector Suleiman Audu, Inspector Sanusi, Inspector Tanzin Audu from Nasarawa State, Inspector Dashi and Yahaya Ibrahim.
He said: “It was not an easy task. In the early hours of yesterday (Tuesday), our joint patrol operation in the Magami area of Zamfara was ambushed.
“Magami is a border area with the Niger Republic, so it is easy for the bandits to escape freely when the battle becomes tough.”
According to SaharaReporters, the Zamfara State police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, when contacted, could neither confirm nor refute the report.
He reportedly said that he was not in a position to comment on the incident since it was a joint operation from the DHQ.
