Three officers of the Kaduna State Vigilance Service lost their lives early Monday after gunmen opened fire during a high-speed pursuit on the Zuntu-Zaria Road in Kubau Local Government Area.
The victims were on routine stop-and-search duty around 12:20 a.m. when a red Golf car sped toward their checkpoint and ignored signals to halt.
The officers gave chase in their patrol vehicle. During the pursuit, the driver, identified as Mamiyo, the deputy commander of the vigilance group in Kubau, was struck by gunfire. A bullet tore through his ear, according to accounts from the scene.
Suspected armed robbers inside the Golf then turned their weapons on a second officer riding in the patrol car.
After the exchange of fire, the attackers doubled back to the original checkpoint and shot the third official who had remained behind.
Resident Musa Ibrahim described the sudden violence that woke the neighbourhood.
“We heard continuous gunshots close to our homes. By the time people rushed out, three of our vigilante brothers were already down. It was pure chaos,” he said.
Community elder Amina Yusuf called the killings a heavy blow. “These men risked their lives every night to keep the road safe. Losing them this way has left everyone in shock and mourning,” she stated.
In a separate attack the same night, bandits raided Maro village in Kajuru Local Government Area.
Two residents, Yonana Augustine and Ezekiel Dogara, were killed. The attackers also seized three women and three children before withdrawing.
Villager Samuel Danjuma said the community spent the entire night fighting back. “No one slept.
We stayed alert and tried to push the attackers away, but they still managed to take lives and abduct our people,” he recounted.
As of the latest reports, the Kaduna State Police Command and its spokesperson had not issued any official statement on either incident.