Three police officers are dead after their armoured vehicle ran over a bomb planted by terrorists in Zamfara State.

The explosion happened on Monday along the Anka–Bagega road. The officers were on a routine patrol targeting armed groups when their APC hit the Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

Governor Dauda Lawal's media aide, Mugira Yusuf, confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday.

He named the dead officers as Abdulrazak Hassan, a superintendent of police, and inspectors Murtala Musa and Auwal Ahmad. All three were trained bomb disposal experts attached to the Zamfara State Police Command.

After the blast, bandits reportedly came out of the surrounding forest, set the damaged armoured vehicle on fire, and fled back into the bush.

The police spokesperson in Zamfara, Yazeed Abubakar, couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday afternoon.

This attack marks a troubling shift in the northwest security crisis. For years, armed groups in Zamfara – often called bandits – relied on kidnappings, cattle rustling, and village raids using AK-47s and other small arms.

Now they're using buried explosives. That's a tactic more commonly associated with Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Northeast. Counter-terrorism analysts and residents have reported that these criminal syndicates are increasingly adopting battlefield methods from insurgent groups.

The use of IEDs makes police patrols far more dangerous. It also means the bandits are getting better at manufacturing or acquiring explosives and learning how to deploy them effectively.

This isn't the first time explosives have been used in the northwest, but it's one of the deadliest attacks on security forces using this method.

The Anka–Bagega axis has been a hotspot for bandit activity. The road connects several communities that have suffered repeated attacks in recent years.

For now, the police haven't announced any arrests or a response to the attack. But the shift in tactics means security forces will have to change how they patrol these roads. Armoured vehicles are no longer enough protection when the ground itself can explode.

  • Three police officers killed: Abdulrazak Hassan (Superintendent), Murtala Musa (Inspector), and Auwal Ahmad (Inspector)
  • All three were trained Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) specialists
  • The incident occurred on Monday, June 15, 2026, along the Anka–Bagega road in Zamfara
  • Their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by terrorists
  • After the blast, bandits set the vehicle on fire and escaped into the forest
  • The attack represents a tactical shift: armed groups in the northwest are adopting IEDs, a method used by Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Northeast