From Emmanuel Adeyemi Lokoja
The Okene Area Police command in Kogi State was, on Sunday night, attacked by gunmen numbering over 30, leaving one of them dead.
An eyewitness account said the hoodlums, who invaded the police command at about 10pm, on Sunday night, were chanting “Allahu Akbar”! The police personnel on duty, in conjunction with the local vigilante members, were said to have immediately repelled the attack, killing one of them, while others fled.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Willy Aya, in a statement, said the state police commissioner has deployed his men to immediately fish out other hoodlums that fled the scene of the incident.
The statement reads in parts: “On 06/02/2022, at about 2200hrs, some armed hoodlums attacked the Okene Area Command Headquarters with sporadic gunshots and explosives, chanting ‘Allahu Akhbar’.
“The Officer’s on duty gallantly repelled the hoodlums, shot dead one of them which forced them to flee before the arrival of back up teams from the neighbouring Divisions.
“The Commissioner of Police has deployed re-enforcement team to the area consist of Counter Terrorism Units, Police Mobile Force, Intelligence team as well as Quick Response Unit along with the military and other security forces with a view to tracking down the perpetrators and bringing them to book.
“The Commissioner of Police, while assuring the law abiding citizen of the State of his level of commitment in discharging his mandate, in synergy with other heads of security agencies in the State, to ensure a safe and secure environment for all to go about their lawful activities,” the statement added.