Tension as gunmen invade Benue police station, kill 3 officers, cart away arms

Gunmen stormed Igumale Police Station in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, yesterday morning, killing three police officers and leaving another in critical condition. Vanguard learned that the heavily-armed men also broke into the armoury of the station and carted away all the arms. The attack is coming few days after Benue State Police Commissioner, Bashir Makama, directed heads of Police Commands and Divisions to intensify patrols of the state ahead of the coming yuletide celebration.

According to a senior Ado council staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the armed men stormed the police station, which was the only one in the area yesterday at 12:35a.m.
He said: “I personally got a call from one of the elders in Ogbe village, which is just a stone throw from the station, at 12:35a.m., that there was heavy bombardment of the village as if a war had started. “After receiving that call, the gunshots continued for about 10 minutes and nobody was courageous enough to come out of his home. “At that point, we all started calling security agencies in the area, including the Divisional Police Officer to find out what the problem was because it was as if the entire Igumale was under siege. “About 15 minutes after the shootings stopped, people came out and discovered that the Igumale Police Station had been attacked and there was blood everywhere. One of the policemen on duty was shot dead and three others badly wounded and in critical condition. “According to the account of those who lived near the station, they heard the sound of two motorbikes conveying some persons to the station and suddenly there was heavy bombardment of the station after which the men mounted their bikes and zoomed off through Adiga village, towards Okpoga. “We immediately called in the council ambulance and conveyed them to Saint Daniel Hospital, Otukpo. Unfortunately, before we got to the hospital, the second officer died. “We gathered that the other two, who were also in critical condition because their bodies were riddled with bullets, were moved from Otukpo to the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, by police authorities for proper attention. One of them died before noon. “As I speak with you, our people are in shock and in fear. Although more security personnel had been drafted to Ado and the Police Commissioner had visited, there is tension because nobody knows the motive of the attackers.”