A Divisional Police Officer in Maru town, Maru Local Government area of Zamfara State, SP Kazeem Raheem, was reportedly killed by bandits in the early hours of Saturday, March 4.

The DPO was killed by bandits alongside a yet-to-be-identified police sergeant and a vigilante.

A source from the community told said that bandits were in the area purposely to kidnap Alhaji Ilisayu, a businessman.

The bandits had, according to the source, kidnapped Ilisayu’s brother, who was reportedly freed after a ransom was paid, but they (bandits) came back to kidnap him but he managed to escape, while his wife was abducted.

He explained: “The DPO foiled the attempt by mobilizing his officers against the criminals but lost his life in the gunfight.”

He added that it was a terrible experience as he woke up to the sound of heavy gunfire around 2 am, explaining that Maru town has been under constant attack and several people were kidnapped in the past year.

SP Muhammad Shehu, the spokesman for Zamfara State command, could not be reached as his phones were switched off.