Armed men kill four police officers in north Nigeria

Police Commissioner Yusufu Mohammed Lawal "expresses heartfelt condolences tothe families of four gallant police officers who tragically lost their liveswhile defending the Police Quarters in Gajiram Town," the statement said.
The attack took place just before midnight on Saturday.
In the same statement, the police also denied rumours circulating on socialmedia of an attack Saturday by Boko Haram or its rival jihadists the IslamicState in West Africa (ISWAP) against police headquarters in Maiduguri, themain city in Borno State.
"The State Command Headquarters in Maiduguri remains secure and operational,with no incidents of attack reported," the police said.
"The public is strongly urged to dismiss the aforementioned misleadinginformation," the statement added.
For several years, the north and centre of Africa's most populous country hasbeen plagued by criminal gangs and jihadists who regularly carry out raidsand kidnap residents, reports BSS.
A jihadist insurgency that has been raging since 2009 has left more than40,000 people dead and two million displaced, according to the UN.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office last May making it apriority to tackle the country's instability.