At least six people have been confirmed dead as gunmen attacked Akpanyan Community in the Igala Mela Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The gunmen who struck on Sunday were allegedly from a neighbouring state.
According to an eyewitness account on Monday, the community, which is located at the boundary of Kogi and Enugu States was attacked by over 30 hoodlums.
The attackers reportedly came into the community in buses and started shooting sporadically in the town, making residents to scamper for safety.
Security agents were said to have confronted the intruders, which led to a gun duel and the death of six persons, among whom were members of the invading hoodlums.
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According to multiple eyewitnesses, the invaders hurriedly escaped with two dead bodies of their members.
Reacting to the incident, I the Kogi State government stated that hoodlums coming from other states to terrorise the Akpanya community had crossed the red line of the state, and as such, they would be confronted with the heavy hands of the state.
The Security Adviser to Governor Yahaya Bello, Commodore Jerry Omodara (retd.), who confirmed the incident, said the combined forces of security agents and the local vigilantes repelled the attack of the hoodlums from the neighbouring state.
He said Governor Bello had directed a total overhaul of the security of the area to ward off the future attack of the outlawed group who takes delight in terrorising the people of Kogi in that area.
He said the group would enter that area of the state, raid markets, and petrol filling stations and kidnap residents, including robbing of shops and others.
“The group came back to Akpanya community on Sunday to raid our people again. Our security agents and other stakeholders, including vigilantes, confronted them. They suffered heavy casualties. We lost a vigilante in the process,” said Omodara.
He said the state governor had advised the people of the area to remain calm, assuring that everything was being put in place for a lasting solution to cross border raid in the flank of the area.