At least 16 security personnel are feared dead and several others remain unaccounted for following a deadly ambush by suspected armed herdsmen allied with local militia groups in Benue State. The incident occurred during a security operation at Agu Centre, a rural settlement in the Mbatyula/Mberev Council Ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
Survivors of the ambush reportedly sustained injuries, while vehicles transporting the operatives were set ablaze and motorcycles seized by the attackers.
Those killed include members of Operation Anyam Nyor, a state-backed Joint Security Task Force comprising police officers and personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPG).
According to a local source, the team—comprising over 90 security operatives and led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Danlami Usman, widely known as “Dan Zuru”—was on a mission to dislodge armed herdsmen from the area when it was ambushed.
“The armed herdsmen, reinforced by local militias numbering close to 1,000, laid a trap between Tse Agbami and Agu Centre on the Katsina-Ala/Ukum border,” the source revealed. “As the security convoy drove into the area, they came under heavy gunfire. Over 16 personnel were killed, and several others captured, including ASP Dan Zuru, who has played a key role in combating criminal elements in the Sankera axis.”
Efforts to reach ASP Zuru have so far failed, with calls to his phone reportedly answered by someone speaking an unfamiliar language—fueling fears of his capture.
Katsina-Ala LGA Chairman, Justine Shaku, confirmed the attack in a statement on his verified social media account. He stated that the security team faced stiff resistance from a coalition of local militias, Fulani fighters, and alleged mercenaries from a neighbouring state.
“Preliminary reports indicate that more than 10 officers are still missing. Only two bodies have been recovered so far. Two Hilux vans were torched, and several motorcycles taken. Reinforcements have since been deployed to the area,” Shaku disclosed.
