An Assistant Superintendent of Police, Bala Wakili, has been killed during a gun battle with suspected bandits in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The officer, attached to the Kebbe Police Division, was reportedly leading a security operation to repel armed attackers who invaded communities in the area when he lost his life.
The incident occurred on Monday after the assailants reportedly stormed Girkau and Zugu villages at about 4 p.m., rustling an unspecified number of livestock before security operatives moved in to confront them.
According to sources in the area, the security team engaged the attackers in a fierce exchange of gunfire, but the bandits, said to be heavily armed and larger in number, overpowered the operatives.
The attackers allegedly killed ASP Wakili during the confrontation and set ablaze two operational vehicles, including one belonging to the Nigeria Police Force and another owned by the Sokoto Community Guard Corps.
The incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks linked to armed bandit groups operating in parts of Sokoto State, raising fresh concerns over the security situation in the region.
Authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the attack as of the time of filing this report.