Bandits ambush security team, kill police officer and two vigilantes in Nasarawa

Three security operatives — a police officer and two vigilante members — have been killed following a brutal ambush by suspected Fulani bandits in Idadu community, Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The attack happened on Wednesday evening when the team, on a routine patrol along the Doma–Idadu Road, ran into a group of heavily armed assailants who opened fire without warning.

Eyewitnesses described the incident as a “commando-style” assault, saying the gunmen struck swiftly and retreated into the nearby forest after the attack.

The slain police officer was attached to the Agbashi Police Division, while the two vigilantes were part of a local joint task force working alongside the police to curb the increasing wave of banditry in the area.

This latest violence comes barely a week after seven people were killed in separate attacks across Keana and Doma local councils — a pattern that has deepened fears among residents of the southern part of the state.

Despite assurances from the Nasarawa State government that security operations are being intensified, locals say arrests have yet to be made, and many communities remain deserted as residents flee to safer areas.

The state has witnessed a resurgence of bandit activity in recent months, with several communities repeatedly targeted by armed groups despite increased patrols by security agencies.