The Benue State Police Command has confirmed the recovery of the bodies of seven policemen and one operative of the state’s Civil Protection Guard, who went missing after a bandits’ ambush in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
The incident, which occurred last Friday, initially claimed the lives of three policemen during a clearance operation against heavily armed attackers.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Catherine Udeme Edet, told journalists on Monday that the bodies of the missing operatives had been found.
“The bodies have been recovered,” she said.
The latest recovery has brought the total number of casualties from the ambush to 11.
Earlier, reports indicated that the security team, made up of policemen and operatives of the state-backed Civil Protection Guard, also known as Anyam Nyom, came under heavy fire from about 1,000 armed men.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, had on Sunday confirmed that three officers were killed, while seven others remained missing at the time.
Chairman of Katsina-Ala Local Government, Mr. Justine Shaku, said in a telephone interview on Monday that the eight bodies were recovered late Sunday night.
“Yes, I can confirm that the bodies of the eight security personnel were recovered yesterday (Sunday) night,” Shaku said.
“The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ifeanyi Emenari, is here with me. The atmosphere is still tense, but we are on top of the situation,” he added.
