Bandits ambushed a police patrol team on the Guga–Bakori road in Katsina State on Tuesday, killing three officers, including an assistant superintendent of police (ASP), and injuring two others, police authorities have confirmed.
The attack occurred around 12:30 p.m. near Guga in Faskari Local Government Area as a five-member team from the 27 Police Mobile Force (PMF) unit, based at Guga Camp, was returning from a routine market-day patrol in an armoured personnel carrier (APC).
According to a source familiar with the incident, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, the bandits — two assailants riding on a motorcycle — trailed the police vehicle and opened fire, puncturing its tyres about three kilometres from Guga.
The APC reportedly lost control and overturned, allowing the attackers to close in on the officers.
“They were chasing the police on a motorcycle and shooting at them,” the source said. “The vehicle lost control after the tyres were hit. Then they came and killed them.”
The source added that the two surviving officers were rushed to the General Hospital in Funtua.
The Katsina State Police Command spokesperson, Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, confirmed the ambush in a statement on Wednesday but declined to disclose further details about the victims or the investigation.
“The command is saddened by this unfortunate incident and assures the public that efforts are being intensified to bring the culprits to justice,” Mr Aliyu said, adding that security operatives had cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for the attackers.
Visual evidence obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, including photographs of the overturned APC and the bodies of two slain officers at the scene, corroborates the account.
One image shows the dark blue APC lying on its roof in a dry, dusty field, its windshield shattered and undercarriage exposed.
Another photograph shows the bodies of two officers amid sparse bushes, with tactical gear and a rifle scattered nearby.
Hospital footage reviewed by this newspaper shows the injured officers in a poorly equipped ward — one with a bandaged head wound and another with severe ankle trauma — with visible pools of blood on the floor.
According to the source, the attackers fled the scene with the officers’ weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, a Tokarev pistol, and a long-range rifle.
The incident highlights the persistent security challenges in Katsina’s rural communities, despite the state government’s reported peace deals with bandit groups.
The source noted a shift in criminal patterns, saying that while kidnappings for ransom have declined in some areas, killings and armed robberies have increased.
In Hayin Danmarka village, about three kilometres from Guga in Faskari LGA, bandits have reportedly seized 29 motorcycles since August last year. Four days ago, two residents were killed in Dannakwabo village in Kakara LGA.
On Wednesday, bandits also attacked a Fulani settlement near Danguza village in Bakori North Ward of Bakori LGA, killing a community leader, Ardo Da’u.
Security analysts say the ambush points to vulnerabilities in police operations, including possible lapses in response tactics.
“They had weapons and were in a bulletproof vehicle, but perhaps they panicked and tried to escape,” the source speculated, noting that the officers did not return fire despite outnumbering the attackers.
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Katsina, like other north-western states, has battled banditry for years, with attacks on security personnel, farmers, and travellers becoming increasingly common.
Although the state government has initiated dialogues with bandit leaders, critics argue that the strategy has delivered limited results.
Residents of affected communities are now calling for increased military presence and better equipment for police units operating in rural areas.
PREMIUM TIMES reached out to the Katsina State Police Command for further comment, but no response had been received at the time of filing this report.
