The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has disputed the Zamfara police command claim that a joint security team overpowered some bandits.

Spokesperson for the police command, Muhammad Shehu, had said that on October 28, joint Police/Civil Defence operatives deployed along Kaura Namoda–Shinkafi Road were ambushed by suspected bandits who came in a large number.

According to the police, which had sought to downplay the bandits attack, after several hours of engaging the heavily armed bandits in a gun duel, “Some of the assailants were neutralised while others escaped with possible gunshot wounds.”

However, narrating what happened, the NSCDC said the bandits, numbering about 150 and with “heavy weaponry”, had “engaged operatives in exchange of fire.”

NSCDC spokesperson, Ikhor Oche, noted in the statement that the team of the joint security forces were overpowered even after it got reinforcement.

“All the same, one of the NSCDC personnel, a driver, was killed while other officers had to run for cover. The bandits set the vehicle ablaze along with corpse of the personnel, and while returning to Shinkafi one personnel also got missing.

“During NSCDC’s search, the missing person was found dead and right now his corpse is on its way to Maru, his hometown.

“This brings to two, the number of NSCDC personnel that died in the attack. I cannot ascertain the extent of what happened to men of the other security agency, but it equally recorded losses,” the spokesperson stated.

(NAN)