Attackers killed at least eight security personnel in an ambush on a police convoy in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state on Tuesday, local vigilante officials told Reuters. The Zamfara police ambush is the latest deadly attack in a region where kidnappings and assaults on security forces are common.
FAKTA: Zamfara police ambush
- What happened: Attackers ambushed a police convoy near Gidan-Giye village in Tsafe Local Government Area, Zamfara state, on Tuesday, 3 November 2026.
- Death toll: At least eight security personnel were killed — five police officers and three members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard (CPG).
- The attack: The attackers fired on a 15-seater bus carrying the security team and destroyed the vehicle, according to a CPG member.
- Aftermath: Police recovered the bodies of five officers, rescued seven others and evacuated two wounded officers for treatment; five AK-47 rifles were seized by the attackers.
- Missing officers: A police officer told Reuters the attackers abducted some officers, but authorities have yet to confirm how many remain missing.
What happened
The dead included five police officers and three members of the Zamfara Community Protection Guard, a state-backed vigilante outfit that supports security operations, vigilante commandant Lawal Haruna told Reuters. Abubakar Isa, a member of the CPG, said the attackers struck near Gidan-Giye village in Tsafe Local Government Area and fired on the 15-seater bus carrying the security team, destroying the vehicle.
According to local reporting, the convoy was travelling to provide security for a senatorial primary election in the Zamfara North district. Zamfara State Police spokesman Yazid Abubakar confirmed that officers from neighbouring Sokoto State had been sent to Zamfara, but did not provide a detailed casualty figure.
Rescue and recovery
Police later recovered the bodies of five officers, rescued seven others and evacuated two wounded officers for treatment, according to a police statement. Police said the attackers seized five AK-47 rifles. A police officer told Reuters the attackers abducted some officers, though authorities have yet to confirm how many remain missing.
Nigerian police officers on duty. The convoy ambushed in Zamfara was travelling to provide security for a senatorial primary election.
A region under pressure
Zamfara, in Nigeria’s northwest, has suffered repeated attacks by armed groups, and kidnappings and assaults on security personnel are common in the region, Reuters reported. Local reports described the attackers as suspected bandits; no group was named in the reports.
For more news from the region, see Watan News’ Africa coverage.
