A coordinated ambush by armed men believed to be herdsmen and bandits in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State left several security officers and vigilantes dead and others missing.
The attack occurred on September 19 at Agu Centre, targeting a combined patrol team comprising Operation Anyam Nyor, Operation Zenda, the Special Intervention Squad (SIS), and civil protection guards.
The assailants, armed with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and other heavy weaponry, engaged the security operatives in fierce gunfire.
Reported casualties include one police officer and two vigilantes killed instantly, with two more police officers and two vigilantes found dead later in the day. The commander of the civil protection guards sustained a gunshot injury to the hand.
Five police officers and an unspecified number of vigilantes remain missing in the aftermath of the ambush.
Two police patrol vehicles and an armored personnel carrier were damaged in the attack, although the crew of the armored vehicle escaped unharmed.
Reinforcements from the Nigerian Army’s 401 Brigade and other tactical police units have joined ongoing operations to engage the attackers.
Efforts to deploy the Nigerian Air Force have been hampered by poor weather conditions.