Gunmen invade Kogi’s community, nine killed, several injured

About nine persons have been reportedly killed while several others sustained various degrees of injuries when gunmen invaded Bagana community in Omala local Government Area of kogi State.

A local who survived by whiskers said the gunmen invaded a provision shop located in the heart of the village and opened fire, killing four persons on the spot.

He disclosed that he counted five dead bodies from his hiding, which included one Alias Barrister, a diesel oil dealer and a dispensary staff of the Local Government Health Center at Ogba, residing in Bagana.

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Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command, DSP William Aya, said one Usman Salifu called the DPO on phone around 9.30pm on Tuesday that his shop has been attacked by gunmen leading to the death of his sales boy, Bashir Sule and three other customers, while scores sustained various degrees of injury.

He added that on receipt of the distress call, the DPO mobilised his men to the scene and evacuated some of the injured to the hospital for treatment, adding that the force had commenced a manhunt to bring the perpetrators to book.

He said peace had returned to the village and assured the people to return home to continue with their legitimate businesses.

Another villager while recounting his ordeal to our correspondent said they were woken up from their sleep by the gunshots and they scampered into the bush for safety.

He lamented the incessant killings of innocent citizens and wanton burning of their houses by the marauders since 2014 and called on the Federal Government and the Kogi State government and security agencies to come to their aid.

He added that the village had lost over 300 of her citizens and had lost property worth billions of naira to the unending attacks by the militia allegedly invited from Benue and Nasarawa states.

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He said the crisis which started between the Agatu militias and Fulani herders from Benue state had turned the town to a ghost, as the efforts by the state government to curtail the carnage proved abortive.

The locals noted that since December 2014, the village was on two occasions violently attacked resulting in the death of scores and burning down of houses.

According to the locals, a prominent Hausa Chief, Alhaji Audi Abdullahi and Chief of Ihankpe were at different times violently abducted and killed by yet to be apprehended bandits.

They explained that some of their children, seven of them, residing outside the state, who innocently came home for sallah celebrations were gruesomely murdered by these vagabonds, even as the video of their torture to death had gone viral.

They alleged that the trouble may not have been unconnected with the supremacy battle of who was to control resources of the town by the four major tribes, Igala, Hausa, Otutubatu and Ihankpe.