An attempt by gunmen suspected to be bandits, to overrun the Police Area Command in Okene, Kogi was foiled as one of the gunmen was killed..
The incident which occurred on Sunday left many of the bandits with various degrees of injuries as they made their escape
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, disclosed this in a statement to newsmen on Monday in Lokoja.
“The Kogi government wishes to report that the area command of the Nigerian police force in Okene was attacked by gunmen numbering over 30 in the late hours of Sunday Feb. 6, 2022.
“However, they were shown the strength and efficacy of the Kogi security architecture as the local hunters, men of the State Vigilante Service collaborated with other security operatives to spontaneously foil the attack.
“The superior firepower of the combined security network of the state ensured one of them was gunned down immediately while others ran away with various degrees of gunshot wounds.
“Two of their motorcycles were recovered as well as various arms and ammunition. Also, explosives meant to destroy the command were immediately detonated by experts.
” The onslaught against the gunmen was coordinated by the Executive Chairmen of Local Government Areas in Kogi Central and the SSA on Security to the Gov. Yahaya Bello, in charge of Kogi Central.
“This is the second time in less than two months that Kogi proved impregnable to criminals as tens of them lost their lives in the attack on Yagba West LGA of the state in December.
“The Kogi governor, is renowned for stating that criminals will come in their numbers but go back in their zeros,’’ Fanwo said,.
He continued; “No innocent lives were lost, instead, the criminals were the ones that received gun wounds and lost one of them on the spot.
“We call on traditional medical homes and other medical facilities to report anyone with gun wounds to the nearest security formation as our local hunters are giving them a run for their money in the bush right now.
“We shall keep you updated on developments,” he added, saying that the governor had assured the people of the state of the necessary support to secure their lives and property.”