THE Police Headquarters on Tuesday confirmed that seven of its officers deployed to fight bandits in Katsina State died in a ghastly motor accident on Sunday, July 12.

According to a statement released by the police on Twitter, 11 officers also sustained serious injuries in the accident.

The police officers were attached to the Special Forces Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.

In the tweeted statement, the police disclosed that the  incident, which involved an 18-seater Toyota Hummer Bus conveying 18 personnel of the Unit, occurred at Jaji town along Kaduna-Zaria road.

It revealed that the deceased were part of an additional deployment made recently by the Force to boost the ongoing fight against bandits in Birnin-Gwari, Katsina State.

Mohammad Adamu, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who described the incident as a huge loss to the Force, noted that it was one of the unfortunate sacrifices, officers often encounter in the line of duty.

He described the deceased as “Heroes of Peace”.

Adamu in the statement further stated that a team of Police Medical Personnel has been dispatched to Kaduna State where 11 officers that survived the accident are receiving medical attention.

Three of the deceased officers have been buried according to Islamic rites while the bodies of the other four officers have been deposited in a Morgue, the police said.

Meanwhile, the IGP has directed the Police Accounts and Budget Department to ensure the immediate payment of the burial expenses, benefits and other entitlements to the families of the deceased officers.