Tragedy struck in Yagba West Local Council, Kogi State, on Wednesday morning as armed bandits attacked a police checkpoint, killing three officers.
The incident was reported to have occurred at the Ofili police checkpoint along the Egbe-Okunran-Pategi Road.
This brazen attack raises fresh concerns over the rising insecurity in Okunland and calls for urgent government and community action.
Chairman of Yagba West Council, Tosin Olokun, who confirmed the incident, extended his condolences to the Nigeria Police Force, the families, and colleagues of the three “gallant officers who lost their lives in an ambush earlier today along the Egbe–Okunran road”.
In a release signed by his press secretary, Adeyemi Babarinde Sunday, Olokun described the fallen officers as courageous men who paid the supreme price in the line of duty, working tirelessly to protect lives, maintain peace, and ensure security across Yagba West and the state at large.
The council boss assured the Police Command and the bereaved families that the government and people of Yagba West share in their grief, and that the sacrifices of the departed heroes will never be forgotten.
“In a firm measure to safeguard the local government against further threats, Hon Olokun has directed all herders who recently migrated into Yagba West to vacate the territory within 24 hours. He further reiterated the council’s commitment to working with security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice”, the statement noted.
An eyewitness told The Guardian that the officers who were arriving at their duty post had barely alighted from the Hilux van conveying them when they were ambushed by the bandits who fired several gunshots at their vehicle.
“They came for their guns, obviously, which they carted away. Two police officers died during the gun battle, while the third officer gave up the ghost 30 minutes ago at the E-unit of ECWA Hospital, Egbe. The three bodies have been deposited in the hospital’s morgue,” he said.
