Gunmen attack Kaduna station, kill policeman

One policeman attached to the Mararaban Jos Divisional Police Station has been confirmed dead while two others sustained injuries when gunmen attacked the police station in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The gunmen, said to have come in a large number at 11.30pm on Friday, attacked the police station, and in the process, injured three policemen on duty.

The injured policemen were taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment, where one eventually died.

According to a resident of the community, Fatima Mohammed, when the gunmen attacked the police station, members of the community alerted the security agents for help.

“Immediately we started hearing gunshots, we began to make calls to alert the security agents, luckily, the gunmen did not come into the community. Another thing is that when they came, it was drizzling, then the rain came down heavily, maybe that was what made them to retreat.

“After the incident, we took the injured policemen to a local hospital in the area for treatment. One later died in the hospital and he has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

“The community has been under the siege of kidnappers. Many residents have been kidnapped silently and ransom is being paid. Just a day to Sallah, three women who had been in captivity for over 30 days were released after ransom was paid. And because of this, many residents are fleeing for fear of being kidnapped,” she said.

She, however, said normalcy had returned to the area. The police public relations officer in the state, ASP Muhammad Jalige, who confirmed the incident in a statement, said the bandits attempted to override the personnel on duty in order to gain access into the division’s armoury but met “professional and stiffer resistance from the personnel on duty.”

He said, “The gun duel between the bandits and station guards lasted for some minutes. However, the superior and tactical firepower of the police forced the bandits to retreat. Some sustained fatal bullet wounds.

“The operatives were able to secure the armoury, the entire station and other adjoining facilities at the division. Sadly, one inspector and two special constabulary personnel sustained varying degrees of injurr and are currently receiving medical treatment.”

He noted that investigation into the incident had since commenced using the available evidence recovered from the scene, and efforts are geared towards apprehending the fleeing hoodlums.

It would be recalled that six days ago, bandits killed a villager and abducted seven persons, including three women at Angular Gajere village under Kutemashi ward in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.