Gunmen kill four Police officers at Kogi checkpoints

‎Gunmen riding motorcycles, on Sunday morning, launched deadly assaults on two police checkpoints in Kogi State, leaving four officers and an unidentified civilian dead. The ambushes occurred at Abugi village in Lokoja local government and along Ilafin Road in Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area.
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‎According to eyewitness accounts from Abugi, the attackers arrived around 10:30 a.m., opening fire on the security personnel stationed there. The gunfire resulted in the immediate deaths of two policemen and a young man caught in the crossfire. The assailants then seized rifles from the fallen officers before fleeing the scene.
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‎Shortly afterward, near Ilafin Road, two officers attached to MOPOL 70 were also targeted in a similar incident at about 11:00 a.m. Locals stressed on the growing insecurity where gunmen attack police officers, collect their weapons in order to escalate violence.
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‎An eyewitness Danlami Nasir, who witnessed the havoc caused by these non states actors, said they heard gunshots near the checkpoint early in the morning which made people hid for safety. According to him, when it stopped, they saw two policemen and a civilian dead. He added that the attackers were on motorcycles and took the police rifles before escaping.
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‎Hon. Dr. Joshua Dare, Executive Chairman of Yagba East Local Government, described the killing as a brutal assault not only on law enforcement but on the peace of the entire region. He added that these fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice protecting the community, their loss must not be in vain.
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‎The attacks come just weeks after a deadly ambush at Egbe in Yagba West, where five security personnel were killed under similar circumstances. The Kogi State government recently accused certain youths and others of collaborating with bandits and vowed strict measures to curb such terrorism.
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The Police Public Relations Officer for the state has yet to comment on the latest incidents, as investigations continue.
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