Operatives of the Nigeria Police have thwarted an attempt by gunmen to attack a police station in Katsina-Ala town in Benue State.
Fourteen of the gunmen were killed in the face off.
The spokesperson of the police in Benue, Catherine Anene, said the gunmen, numbering “about 50”, launched an attack on the station in the early hours of Sunday. But the suspects were arrested by the police and detained.
She said “Operatives at the police division, who were already on alert, engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle.”
Anene also said while 14 of the gunmen were killed, others escaped with bullet wounds.
A source, identified as Kajo, said the bandits who were about 50, drove in a Toyota Corolla vehicle to the police station.
The source said, “We started hearing gunshots around 1:30 am today (Sunday) around the police station in Katsina Ala town, everybody in the neighborhood were woken up with the sporadic gunshots and praying to God.
“It was around 5:00 am that some leaders in the area visited the station after they had contacted the Divisional Police Officer.
“Surprisingly, the police gunned down over 10 of these bandits while many of them escaped with gunshot wounds. We also heard that two of them were captured alive.”
