Bandits attack Zamfara: Police, NSCDC give conflicting details

The Zamfara Police Command and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have given conflicting accounts on the attack on their personnel by bandits on Wednesday.

The police’s spokesman in Zamfara, SP Muhammad Shehu, on his part, said only three security personnel were killed in a gun duel and not 20 as reported by an online newspaper.

He said the gun battle happened between the bandits and operatives of a joint Police/Civil Defence patrol team on Kaura Namoda/Shinkafi Road.

Shehu said the police lost one officer while the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) lost two personnel to the battle.

He said:

“The attention of the Police Command in Zamfara has been drawn to misleading reports published by an online medium.

“The report stated that no fewer than 20 operatives of Nigerian security agencies were butchered in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara.

“It said the bodies were set ablaze by bandits operating in the state.

“The Command wishes to state that the report was inaccurate and was an attempt to create fear and panic in the minds of citizens.

“What happened was that on Oct. 28, joint Police/Civil Defence operatives deployed along Kaura Namoda–Shinkafi Road to stem the tide of banditry, kidnapping and other crimes were ambushed by suspected bandits who came in a large number.

“The operatives who were always at alert engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel that lasted for hours.

“Some of the assailants were neutralised while others escaped with possible gunshot wounds.

“Unfortunately, a police operative and two Civil Defence personnel paid the supreme price and their corpses were evacuated and buried accordingly.

“In view of the above, the Command urges members of the public to ignore the outrageous number reported by the online medium and continue to be security conscious while going about their legitimate businesses.”

However, the NSCDC in a separate statement said the police recorded “loses” in the attack involving over 150 bandits.

NSCDC spokesman, Mr Ikhor Oche, also noted that the team of the joint security forces were overpowered even after it got reinforcement.

Oche also didn’t give an account of any casualties on the part of the bandits.

He said:

“The bandits, numbering about 150, had heavy weaponry and engaged operatives in exchange of fire.’’

“All the same, one of the NSCDC personnel, a driver, was killed while other officers had to run for cover.

“The bandits set the vehicle ablaze along with the corpse of the personnel, and while returning to Shinkafi one personnel also got missing.

“During NSCDC’s search, the missing person was found dead and right now his corpse is on its way to Maru, his hometown.

“This brings to two, the number of NSCDC personnel that died in the attack.

“I cannot ascertain the extent of what happened to men of the other security agency, but it equally recorded losses.”