Gunmen launched a deadly assault on Zonkwa Police Station in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday night, October 17, killing at least two police officers.
The attack, which occurred around 8 p.m., plunged the normally quiet community into panic as residents fled for safety amid intense gunfire.
Eyewitnesses told The Nation that the assailants arrived at the station, located near Kamyim Hotel in the Kurmin-Bi area, and immediately opened fire. The gunmen reportedly targeted the facility in an attempt to free suspected vandals believed to be detained there.
A local resident, who asked not to be named, recounted:
“They came shooting sporadically. It was later discovered that the suspects they came for were not even detained in Zonkwa. But before that became clear, damage had already been done.”
Sources said the attackers likely mistook the station as the detention point for the suspects arrested earlier in Kachia town.
A security official confirmed the attack but declined to give further details, saying an investigation was underway.
In a video seen by reporters, two officers were spotted lying motionless in uniform while onlookers gathered around the station discussing the assault. Residents described the incident as another worrying sign of deteriorating security in the region despite recent peace initiatives by local authorities.
Security personnel were later deployed to restore order in the area. As of press time, the Kaduna State Police Command had not yet released an official statement on the attack.
