The attack took place on Monday while the security forces were escorting an expatriate to a mining site in Birnin Gwari area of the state.

“Seven personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) were ambushed and killed alongside 5 others from a sister security agency and local security service,” NSCDC said in a statement on Facebook.

“The personnel who were attached to the Kaduna State Ministry of Mines were ambushed and killed by bandits while on official duty at a mining site in Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna State,” the statement added.

The sporadic clashes between the country's government and various gangs and ethnic militias are ongoing in northwestern Nigeria.

Starting in 2011, the insecurity remaining from the conflict between the Fulani and Hausa ethnic groups quickly allowed other criminal elements to form in the region.

The origins of the bandit conflict can be traced back to herder-farmer conflicts that plague Nigeria.

Environmental decline and the scarcity of water and arable land led to communities competing viciously for those limited resources.

Unemployment, large-scale poverty and weak local government have allowed for a steady stream of desperate people turning to criminal activity to earn a living.

Large forested areas allow for concealment and the formation of camps deep in the forest. Unequipped police and military personnel are unable to reach these areas. (ILKHA)