BanglaPress Desk: Five police officers have been killed in a surprise attack by gunmen while en route to perform election-related duties in Nigeria. The officers were traveling in a bus from Sokoto State, in the country’s northwest, toward neighboring Zamfara State when they were ambushed by armed assailants.
The incident occurred on Monday evening (November 2) along the Sokoto-Gusau highway, according to reports from Anadolu Agency.
Abdullahi Faruk, a spokesperson for the Nigerian police, confirmed the attack. He stated that the bodies of the five deceased officers have been placed in the morgue at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital in Sokoto.
Police sources indicated that the officers were heading to Zamfara for a special assignment. They had been deployed to provide security for the primary elections of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the Zamfara North Senatorial District.
While the officers were traveling in a public transport bus, armed assailants intercepted the vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire. All five police officers were killed on the spot. This attack once again highlights the persistent insecurity in northwestern Nigeria, a region frequently plagued by armed groups that target vehicles, raid rural communities, and kidnap civilians for ransom.
The activities of these armed groups are particularly concerning in the states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, and Kebbi. Despite regular operations by the military and police in these areas, attacks and kidnappings continue unabated.
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