MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Three police officers were killed and two others wounded when suspected armed gang members ambushed a routine patrol in northwest Nigeria's Katsina state on Tuesday, the police said on Wednesday.
The incident was part of a surge in attacks, including mass kidnappings by armed gangs operating from forest hideouts who have raided villages, schools and places of worship in the predominantly Muslim northwest.
Tuesday's ambush, the second in a week, highlights the region's persistent insecurity, where gangs known as bandits continue to hit rural communities and security forces despite ongoing military operations.
Katsina police spokesperson Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said the officers came under heavy fire at about 1144 GMT along the Guga-Bakori road while on patrol. The team "responded bravely,” repelling the assault, but lost three officers in the shootout, Aliyu said in a statement.
Two wounded officers are being treated at a nearby hospital, he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians. Nigerian authorities say Muslims are targeted as well as Christians and that they are doing their best to stop the violence in difficult circumstances.
(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi, additional reporting by Hamza Ibrahim in Kano; Writitng by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Philippa Fletcher)
