An eyewitness has recounted a harrowing incident in Zurmi town, Zamfara State, where bandits reportedly killed a Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) and set ablaze the local police station.
According to Mohammed Ibrahim, a resident of the area, the bandits, armed with sophisticated weapons and numbering in large groups, launched the attack on Zurmi town, the administrative headquarters of Zurmi Local Government Area (LGA), around 5 pm on Sunday.
Upon their arrival, the bandits swiftly targeted the police station, opening fire indiscriminately. In the ensuing chaos, the DCO was fatally shot, while other police officers sustained injuries. Subsequently, the assailants set the police station on fire, causing extensive damage.
Ibrahim revealed that the bandit assault on the police station was purportedly in retaliation for the killing of three of their comrades by local vigilantes. The vigilante group, accompanied by the police, had reportedly raided a bandit camp in the forest, resulting in the death of three bandits and the capture of another.
In a vengeful response, the bandits mobilized and descended on the police station, believing that their captured associate was being held there. However, upon failing to locate their comrade, they resorted to violence, targeting law enforcement personnel and property.
Following the attack, military personnel were deployed to Zurmi town, while the bandits retreated to the forest.
Despite attempts to contact the Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer, Yazid Abubakar, for official confirmation and further details, calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.
