Scores dead as Police, bandits engage in gun duel on the Plateau
Six members of a terror gang, a police Inspector and a member of a vigilante group were killed during a gunfire exchange between the police and the gang in a village in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, North-central Nigeria, Nigeria Security Digest learnt.
Ubah Ogaba, Police spokesperson in the state disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday, Aug. 24. According to him, the police received intelligence regarding “a notorious syndicate of gunrunners” at one of the villages in Mangu Local Government Area.
“On receipt of the information, the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team (IRT) based in Mangu, Police Operatives attached to Mangu Division, STF and local vigilante were mobilised and swiftly raced to the area,” Ogaba said in the statement.
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He disclosed that the armed gang engaged the police operatives in a gun battle, but “because of the tactical operational capability and superior gunfire of the operatives,” they were able to overpower and kill six of them while the others escaped with bullet wounds.
The police recovered “three AK 47 Rifles with Breach Nos 868, 106076 and 123487.”
One Hassan Mohammed, a local vigilante and one Abdulrahaman Isah, a Police Inspector and Commander IGP’s Intelligence Response Team stationed in Mangu were both killed in the gun duel.
Plateau State has been in the news over a wave of violence sweeping across the state.
On Aug. 14, 23 persons were killed and 23 others injured after an armed gang attacked travellers along Rukuba road in the Jos Local Government Area of the state.
Few days after the incident, University of Jos, a federal university in the state suspended academic activities after its students were killed in reprisal attacks.
About four state governments have since evacuated their indigenes from the university for fear of more deadly attacks.
