A police operative attached to the Zamfara police command was killed on Saturday during a gun battle with bandits while operatives were trying to repel an attack on Samawa village, in Bungudu Local Government Area of the state.
The public relations officer in the command, SP Mohammed Shehu, disclosed this in a statement.
According to him, bandits in large numbers, carrying sophisticated weapons, on Saturday night stormed Tofa village in Bungudu Local Government Area, and shot at villagers indiscriminately.
Before police tactical operatives could arrive, an unspecified number of villagers had been killed.
However, as the bandits left Tofa on their way to Samawa village to unleash violence on the people, operatives stationed at Samawa village were quickly alerted and mobilized. They engaged the bandits in a gun battle which lasted for hours.
The state police command said an unspecified number of bandits were “fatally injured, while others escaped with possible gunshot wounds.”
However, a police operative was killed during the encounter.
“The Commissioner of Police, Hussaini Rabiu, has condoled with the family of the deceased and directed the immediate deployment of additional police tactical operatives to the affected villages to complement the ongoing efforts of safeguarding the lives of the citizens,” Shehu said.
The police chief also appealed to the communities to promptly inform security agencies on movement of criminal elements in order to facilitate quick police response.
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