Officials immediately confirmed 12 fatalities, comprising nine Nigerian Air Force officers, two police officers and one Nigerian Army soldier. It was not immediately clear the level of fire that the soldiers returned to prevent the base from being sacked.
All slain personnel were evacuated to Yerima Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau and the three wounded have been receiving treatments at a brigade medical facility, officials said.
The number of security forces manning the base was not immediately clear. The base has served as a crucial point operation for logistics and reconnaissance efforts to rout out bandits operating between eastern flank of Zamfara and western Katsina.
The Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force are yet to make any statement on the attack.