Seventeen people, including two police officers, were killed in an attack by armed gunmen in Benue state, central Nigeria, according to police reports on Friday. The attackers, locally referred to as bandits, launched the assault in Ayati village on Thursday, marking the latest outbreak of intercommunal violence in the region.
Benue police spokeswoman Anene Sewuese Catherine stated that at approximately 4:30 pm (1530 GMT), a large number of gunmen stormed the village and began firing indiscriminately at the community members.
Fifteen villagers were shot dead, and two police officers were also killed while responding to the assault.
“The bodies have been taken to General Hospital Ukum, and investigations are underway,” she said in a statement.
Sewuese Catherine suggested that the gunmen were attempting to resist ongoing security operations in the area. While she did not provide specific details, she mentioned that the attackers “left with their dead and injured.”
The Ukum area of Benue has been plagued by a prolonged conflict, with officials reporting numerous fatalities over time.
Central Nigeria frequently witnesses clashes between nomadic cattle herders and farmers over land usage, with these confrontations sometimes taking on ethnic and religious overtones.
Sewuese Catherine noted that police commissioner Hassan Steve Yabanet has dispatched additional teams to the area to combat the bandits.
