The Niger Police Command has confirmed the deaths of three of its men and two local vigilantes in an ambush by gunmen in Kwanan Dutse, Mariga local government area in the state.
Police Commissioner Monday Bala Kuryas confirmed this in a telephone interview with the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) in Minna on Tuesday.
Kuryas said the incident occurred around 4 pm on Monday when the Joint Security Task Force, made up of police and local vigilantes, was conducting a routine patrol in the area.
He said dozens of gunmen “were similarly neutralized during the hours-long firefight.”
“The exchange of fire between the armed men and the Joint Security Task Force resulted in the death of three policemen and two local vigilantes, while others suffered injuries of various degrees,” he said.
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He noted that the Joint Security Task Force had thwarted an attack by another group of armed men on Sunday morning after a two-hour shootout in the village of Bari, along the Tegina-Kontagora highway.
According to him, the detachment of the Police Tactical Squad and the Army have been deployed in the area and have started a chase “with a view to locating the criminals.”
“We are calling on residents to help deployed security personnel with reliable information that can help stop bad guys.
“We are all willing to deal with any person or group of people who undermines the peaceful atmosphere in our area,” the commissioner said. (YAYA)