DPO, police sergeant killed during encounter with kidnapers in Zamfara

A Divisional Police Officer has been gunned down in Maru community of Zamfara State during a battle with suspected kidnappers.

Apart from the DPO identified as SP Kazeem Raheem, the gunmen also killed a police sergeant and a vigilante during the attack.

The criminals reportedly invaded the town to kidnap a businessman identified as Alhaji Iliyasu.

According to a report by Daily Trust, the armed men were said to have earlier abducted the businessman’s brother who was freed after ransom was paid.

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They came again to kidnap him but he managed to escape, while they took his wife.

The DPO mobilized 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 2am. Maru town has been under constant attack by these criminals, several people were kidnapped in the past one year.

The spokesman for the state police command, SP Muhammad Shehu, could not be reached for comment as his phone lines were switched off at the time of filing this report.

Bandits have continued to make life unbearable for residents of North West despite repeated assurances to bring the situation under control.