A routine assignment in Kaduna turned into a deadly encounter after a combined security convoy escorting government officials came under heavy fire from suspected bandits, leading to the death of a police officer and injuries to several personnel.
Tension rippled through security circles as the attackers, believed to be operating in the forested stretch around Kuzuntu, unleashed gunfire on the convoy as they made their way back from a field operation.
The coordinated assault forced the team into a defensive position as they attempted to evacuate the wounded.
The incident occurred along the Kuzuntu axis of Anchau in Kubau Local Government Area in Kaduna State on December 3, 2025, at about 2:55pm with the security team made up of personnel from the Nigerian Army, the Police, KADVS operatives, and local vigilantes.
They were deployed at the request of the Kubau Local Government Chairman to escort officials of an Agro Industry and local government representatives assigned to measure a government-approved grazing reserve in the area.
According to a senior security source familiar with the operation, the assignment had been completed without confrontation until the ambush.
“The armed men struck with precision, clearly aware of the team’s movement. It was a planned attack,” the source said.
Police Constable Sunday Ishaya was shot during the gun battle and later confirmed dead at a medical facility, while several injured military personnel remain in hospital and are responding to treatment.
A local vigilante leader working with the joint task force condemned the attack, describing it as “a desperate and cowardly attempt to scare authorities away from reclaiming government land.”
He added that intensified operations were already being discussed to prevent a repeat incident.
The remains of the fallen officer have been deposited at General Hospital, Ikara, as security agencies continue investigations, with reinforcement expected in the coming days as efforts to secure the troubled axis continue.
The incident forms part of a worrying pattern of armed resistance to government presence in remote areas, raising renewed conversations about rural security and the protection of public infrastructure in northern Nigeria.