By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Five police officers and three soldiers were reportedly killed when the security operatives were ambushed by a group of terrorists on Thursday morning in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A military source confirmed this, revealing that the troops were escorting workers of a construction company, Setraco Nigeria Limited, when the terrorists ambushed them and started shooting, resulting in the death of eight security personnel.
The source added that a prompt response from the Army saved other security personnel attached to Setraco workers, adding that several terrorists were eventually killed in a gun battle.
However, some terrorists escaped with weapons stolen from the deceased security personnel.
The source called for prayers for their team in Zamfara.
According to him, troops escorting Setraco workers on their way to Tsafe LGA in Zamfara encountered ambush”.
He said three soldiers and five policemen were killed and rifles were carted away.
“We came swiftly to reinforce and we were able to kill many of the bandits. Police have evacuated the bodies of both the personnel and the bandits,” the source added.
This comes shortly after reported how some terrorists blocked the busy Gusau-Funtua highway in Zamfara State and abducted an unspecified number of travellers on the road.
This was confirmed during a telephone conversation with the State Police Command Spokesman, Yezid Abubakar.
The police spokesperson said the command had deployed several personnel to the scene of the attack and he was yet to be briefed on the exact figure of the people that were kidnapped by the terrorists.
“It is true but we are on top of the matter. Our men have been deployed to the place but they are yet to come back so I don’t know the exact figure of the people that were kidnapped. I will get back to you when I get the information,” the police spokesman said.