Bandits kill 3 Soldiers, Four Policemen In Zamfara Ambush

BANDITS along Funtua-Gusau highway in Zamfara State have killed four policemen and three soldiers in a deadly ambush while on their way to repel attack on Thursday.

Zamfara Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Dalijan, con­firmed the tragic development.

He noted that they were plan­ning to attack a construction com­pany working along the highway and abduct some of them in the state.

The police commissioner said on receipt of the information, a joint security team made up of police and the soldiers were de­ployed to thwart the plan of the terrorists.

But the bandits laid ambush for the security team and opened fire on them, resulting in the death of seven members of the team.

“The bandits had wanted to enter Setraco camp to abduct some staff of Setraco company, we had the information, we sent our men not knowing that they had laid ambush on the road,” he said.

“As we are going they met heavy resistance from the bandits, they opened fire, they exchanged gunfire and in the process, we lost some army personnel and police personnel too.

“We lost three soldiers and four policemen,” CP Dalijan con­firmed.

Earlier reports indicated that the bandits blocked the ever-busy Gusau-Funtua highway for about two hours.

Sources said the incident oc­curred at Yandoton-Tsafe, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, around 9am, on Thursday.

A resident of Tsafe, Ibra­him Umar, said the attack was launched on some construction workers at Yandoton Tsafe, kill­ing about seven people including three military escorts.

He said the bandits invaded the construction sites on motor­bikes and opened fire on the in­nocent workers.

“The soldiers protecting the workers repelled the attack, but about seven people including the soldiers were said to have been killed during the encounter. It was also said that a foreign engi­neer was abducted by the bandits during the attack.”

Funtua-Gusau highway has become a death trap to many travelers and other road users.

The portion of the road of about 50 kilometres between Fun­tua and Tsafe is tagged as Israel by drivers flying the road.

The Israel as many commer­cial drivers fondly called it covers villages and towns in the two local government areas.

The villages are Sheme, Kanfanin Mai-Lafiya, Ungu­war Boka, Yankara in Katsina State and Danwuri, Wanzamai, Kucheri, Unguwar-Chida, Maga­zu, Gidan-Giye,Tsafe in Zamfara State.