Police in Benue State have neutralized three suspected bandits following a shootout that occurred after the murder of a 67-year-old man in the Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.
Zagazola Makama, a security expert specializing in counter-insurgency in the Lake Chad region, shared the details of the incident in a post on X this Monday.
He reported that the event took place on March 7 around 7:30 p.m., when armed bandits associated with a local kingpin known as “Chen” kidnapped Zaki Sughter Agenbeer, 67, from his home in the Une Tongov community.
Makama noted that the kidnappers dragged the victim into the forest and killed him, accusing him of acting as an informant for security agencies regarding their criminal operations.
According to a local source, the DPO of Katsina-Ala teamed up with the DPO of Ukum to deploy patrol teams and tactical units to the scene.
During the subsequent encounter, police officers engaged the bandits in a gun battle, resulting in the death of three suspects.
Makama also revealed that the body of the deceased victim has been recovered and taken to the Zaki Ibiam Hospital mortuary.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the surrounding bushes to capture the remaining suspects who fled the scene.
