Gunmen have killed no fewer than 19 people in Tawari community in the Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State, burning buildings, including the palace of the king of the community.
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The Public Relations Officer of the Kogi State Police Command, Mr Williams Anya, confirmed the development in an interview in Lokoja on Friday.
He said that a police assessment team had visited the community and that many buildings, including places of worship had been burnt.
Tawari community is a few kilometres off Gegu town along the Lokoja-Abuja highway.
A resident of Tawari community, Mrs Comfort Solomon, who survived the attack, said that the gunmen, numbering about 100 invaded the community late on Thursday.
She said the gunmen came in their numbers on motorcycles and descended on the village, killing and burning buildings until the early hours of Friday.
Solomon said that many places of worship, including the palace of the Akuma of Tawari were burnt down by the invaders.
”The gunmen were up to 100 in number. They came into the community with motorcycles around 11:15 p.m. when villagers were sleeping.
“They entered selected houses, packed foodstuff and motorcycles and burnt selected houses, including homes of clerics.
”They killed more than 15 men. The attackers were communicating with each other in Hausa language,” Solomon stated, weeping profusely.
Nuhu said that latest information she got from her village was that the death toll would rise.
”We are calling on security agencies to bring the perpetrators to justice. We appeal to the federal and state governments to come to our aid,” she pleaded.
The king of Tawari, Chief Idris Yusuf, who also confirmed the incident, saying it was the first time the community was experiencing such attack.
“This is the first time we are witnessing such deadly attack in our community. Our community has been very peaceful.
Yusuf, who is the Aguma of Tawari, said that he would provide details on the development as he was busy attending to some issues.
[4:14 PM, 1/3/2020] Tunde Abatan: Tawari attack: Bello orders fishing out of perpetrators for justice
The Governor of Kogi, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has directed the security agencies in the state to fish out perpetrators of Tawari attack for justice.
In a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Onogwu Muhammed, in Lokoja on Friday, the governor said the security agencies should swing into action and ensure that those who carried out the dastardly act face the law.
The governor, who condemned the attack and warned that anyone nursing the ambition of causing crisis in the state would have himself or herself to blamed assured that his administration would do everything possible to protect life and property of the people of the state.
He, therefore, urged the people to be calm and law abiding, assuring them that his administration was determined to flush out bandits and criminals out of the state.
Meanwhile, the Police Command has disclosed that about 28 houses and vehicles were razed by the attackers in Tawari community located in Kogi Local Government Area of the state among other destruction.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command, Dsp Williams Anya, disclosed this in a telephone interview.
Anya, who also disclosed that some lives were lost during the attack, said the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ede Ayuba Ekpeji had visited the community for on the spot assessment.
Tawari community which is about 30 minutes drive from Gegu town on Lokoja-Abuja road, Kogi Local Government Area, came under a heavy attack by unknown gunmen on Thursday night.
He also said that the Commissioner of Police had deployed Special Police Force and Police Tactical Squad, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, to immediately unravel those behind the heinous act with a view to bringing them to book.
