Three police officers tragically lost their lives on Monday after their vehicle struck an explosive device planted by terrorists in Zamfara State.
Mugira Yusuf, a media aide to Governor Dauda Lawal, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Tuesday.
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According to the statement, the officers were conducting a routine patrol targeting armed groups along the Anka–Bagega axis when the tragedy occurred.
One of the police unit’s armoured personnel carriers (APCs) ran over the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) buried by the terrorists.
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Mr Yusuf identified the deceased officers as Abdulrazak Hassan, superintendent of police, Murtala Musa, an inspector and Auwal Ahmad, also an inspector.
The official said all three deceased officers were trained explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts attached to the Zamfara State Police Command.
Following the explosion, he said bandits reportedly emerged from the surrounding forest and set the damaged armoured vehicle ablaze before retreating into the bush.
The police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazeed Abubakar, couldn’t be reached to comment on the incident on Tuesday afternoon.
The use of buried explosives in Zamfara roads marks a tactical shift in Nigeria’s northwestern security crisis.
ALSO READ: Seven people killed in Zamfara bomb explosion
Historically, the armed groups operating in Zamfara—locally referred to as “bandits”—relied primarily on guerrilla tactics, including mass kidnappings, cattle rustling, and sudden raids on villages using small arms and light weapons such as AK-47s.
However, counter-terrorism analysts and residents reported that these criminal syndicates are increasingly adopting battlefield tactics traditionally used by insurgent groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Northeast.
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