Soldiers of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) on Saturday killed five bandits who attacked a community in Makurdi Local Government Area of Benue State.
Sources said that the bandits had earlier attacked Anune village, a rural community along Naka road in the outskirts of Makurdi Local Government Area (LGA), and allegedly killed unspecified numbers of people.
The soldiers then raided the bandits’ hideouts within the borders of Benue and Nasarawa States respectively.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, has confirmed the attack on Anune village but did not if there was any casualty.
“Today 17/4/2021 at about 4.30am information was received that gunmen invaded Anune, Naka road, Makurdi. A team of Police officers have been deployed to the area to forestall further breakdown of law and order. Further information will be communicated to you please,” the PPRO said.
A witness said that apart as soldiers and Police moved around in trucks, a Nigerian Air Force helicopter was seen hovering around the affected village between 9:00am and 10:00am on Saturday.
The witness added that the security operatives drove into the forest area where the alleged bandits had earlier retreated into and that before long, the soldiers’ were seen returning with at least five dead bodies of the suspected attackers.
Another villager said the bandits attacked residents around 4am during which they fired gunshots sporadically.
The villager said he could not yet ascertain how many persons were killed but that some people lost their lives in the attack while those who sustained injuries have been evacuated to the hospital.