Four police officers, seven civilians killed in Benue community attack

Suspected armed herders have attacked Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, killing four police officers and seven civilians, according to Punch Nigeria. Daily Trust reports a slightly different toll, with four mobile policemen and eight villagers killed.

The attack occurred on Friday morning, with locals saying the attackers, allegedly numbering over 200, invaded the farming community through Alufu road in the neighbouring Taraba State. They reportedly shot at residents and set houses ablaze.

A resident, Tyolumun Ugande, told journalists that a detachment of mobile policemen deployed to the community engaged the attackers, who were armed with sophisticated weapons. The gun battle lasted several hours from Thursday night before the bandits retreated. Several houses were reportedly burnt by the attackers.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Daily Trust — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.