Four police officers killed, one missing, after bandit attack in northwest Nigeria

© Reuters.

ABUJA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Four police officers were killed
and one was missing after armed bandits attacked their convoy in
northwest Nigeria on Friday, the Nigerian police said.
Around 100 armed men attacked 16 police officers on the
Birnin Gwari-Funtua highway as they returned to their
headquarters in Kano state, a federal police spokesman said in a
statement issued on Sunday.
Armed groups of men, commonly called bandits, roam
throughout northwest Nigeria, committing armed robberies,
kidnappings, cattle theft and even murder. In recent months
Nigerians have criticized the government for a lack of security.
In December, officials said bandits kidnapped more than 300
schoolboys in northwest Katsina state, though Boko Haram later
claimed - without evidence - to have taken the boys. They were
released without harm after the government intervened.
The officers who were attacked on Friday were returning home
from a deployment in Niger state as part of an operation to
tackle banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
Inspector General of Police M.A Adamu commended the officers
for "uncommon gallantry" in repelling the attack despite being
outnumbered, and said the officers inflicted heavy casualties on
the attackers.
The surviving 11 officers recovered the bodies and firearms
of those killed and "concerted efforts are being intensified to
rescue the officer still missing," the police said.