No fewer than six suspected bandits were killed by operatives of the Zamfara State Police Command and other security agencies following an attempted attack on Kanoma Town and Gidan Daji Village in Kanoma District of Maru Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
According to him, the attack occurred at about 11 a.m. on Tuesday when a large group of armed bandits invaded the communities with sophisticated weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, general-purpose machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and AK-47 rifles.
Abubakar noted that a joint security team comprising police tactical operatives from the Maru Division, military personnel attached to Operation Fansar Yamma, operatives of the Violence Crime Response Unit, and local vigilantes swiftly mobilised to the area after receiving a distress call.
“The security team engaged the assailants in a gun duel, forcing them to retreat and preventing the attack from succeeding. During the operation, six bandits riding on two motorcycles were neutralised,” he said.
He added that several other suspects escaped into nearby forests with suspected gunshot wounds, while no casualties were recorded among security personnel or residents of the affected communities.
Abubakar noted that security had been reinforced in the area, with sustained patrols ongoing to maintain peace, reassure residents and track down the fleeing suspects.
“The command remains resolute in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property and calls on residents to continue cooperating with security agencies by providing timely, actionable information,” he added.
The development came less than 24 hours after the command announced that a joint security team had repelled a bandit attack following a two-hour gun battle along Gadar Manya in Anka Local Government Area of the state.
