Bandits Kill Top Police Officer In Zamfara

A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Maru town, headquarters of Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara state, SP Kazeem Raheem, has been reportedly killed by some unknown gunmen.

Reports obtained by Naija News revealed that the top security official was killed alongside a sergeant and local vigilante, with their identities yet to be ascertained.

It was gathered that the assailants invaded the town to kidnap a businessman identified as Alhaji Iliyasu. The gunmen were said to have initially abducted the victim’s brother, who was reportedly freed after a ransom was paid.

The gunmen returned to kidnap Iliyasu, but he managed to escape while they took his wife. A resident who confirmed the incident to Daily Trust based on anonymity said DPO Raheem led his men to foil the attempt by the criminals to kidnap the businessman but lost his life in the gunfight.

“It was a terrible experience. I woke up at the sound of heavy gunfire around 2 am. Maru town has been under constant attack by these criminals; several people were kidnapped in the past year,” the eyewitness said.

The spokesman of the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, however, has not issued an official statement to confirm the incident as of the time of filing this report.

Naija News, however, understands that bandits have continued to make life unbearable for residents of the North West region despite repeated assurances to bring the situation under control.