Eight police officers have been killed after suspected bandits ambushed a security team near Gidan Kano in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria, while the officers were travelling to provide security for a senatorial primary election on Monday, November 2.
The attackers opened fire on the vehicle carrying the officers along a rural highway linking Zamfara and neighbouring Sokoto State, killing eight, kidnapping five others and injuring three, according to local officials and residents.
Ibrahim Umar, a resident of Gidan Kano, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the gunmen attacked the police vehicle before taking some of the occupants into the surrounding bush.
Adamu Kantu Gora, secretary of Maradun Local Government Council in Zamfara, confirmed the eight deaths and said five people had been abducted, while three others sustained injuries and were taken for treatment.
Zamfara State police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said the officers had been deployed from neighbouring Sokoto State to provide security during the election. He confirmed that the casualties were transported to Sokoto but did not give further details about the attack.
The officers were assigned to secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Zamfara North Senatorial District. The exercise was being conducted after a court nullified an earlier primary over irregularities and ordered a fresh vote to select the party’s candidate.
The ambush highlights the security challenges facing Nigeria as armed groups continue to target rural communities, travellers and security personnel across the country’s northwestern region.
The gangs, commonly known as bandits, raid villages, abduct residents for ransom and impose illegal levies on farmers and miners. Their operations have spread across remote areas where limited state security presence has made communities vulnerable to repeated attacks.
Zamfara is among the states hardest hit by the violence, with armed groups operating across rural settlements and transport routes. The attacks have disrupted livelihoods, displaced residents and complicated security operations.
Nigeria is also dealing with a prolonged jihadist insurgency in the northeast, deadly farmer-herder clashes over land and resources, and separatist violence in the southeast.
The latest attack comes as the country prepares for its January 16 general election, raising further concerns about the safety of voters, candidates and electoral officials, particularly in regions affected by persistent insecurity.
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had earlier assured citizens that security agencies would provide a safe environment for voting during the general election.
Speaking to AFP earlier this year, Disu specifically pledged that residents in northern Nigeria, despite the threat posed by banditry and jihadist attacks, would be able to participate in the electoral process.
The killings now place renewed attention on the security arrangements required to protect election-related activities in areas where armed groups continue to operate.
