Armed men believed to be herdsmen and bandits have carried out a deadly ambush on a combined squad of security operatives in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, leaving multiple casualties and several officers missing.
According to intelligence obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place on September 19 at Agu Centre. Sources said the joint patrol comprising personnel of Operation Anyam Nyor, Operation Zenda, the Special Intervention Squad (SIS), and civil protection guards ran into a well-planned ambush.
The assailants, reportedly wielding rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and other heavy weapons, engaged the security team in a fierce gunfight.
The commander of the civil protection guards sustained a gunshot wound to the hand, while one police officer and two vigilantes died on the spot.
Later that day, the bodies of two additional police officers attached to Operation Zenda and Anyam Nyor, and two more vigilantes were recovered and taken to the NKST Zaki Biam Hospital morgue.
Sources disclosed that five police officers and an unspecified number of vigilantes remain missing as of the time of this report.
Two police patrol vehicles, including a gun truck from the Operation Zenda Joint Task Force, were set ablaze during the assault, while an SIS armoured personnel carrier was disabled but eventually retrieved with its crew unharmed.
Reinforcements from other police tactical teams and troops of the Nigerian Army’s 401 Brigade have since joined the operation and are still engaging the attackers.
However, poor weather conditions have delayed the deployment of Nigerian Air Force support.