Bandits have killed three police officers and five civilians in Tor-Damisa community, located in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
According to sources, the criminal elements, who were heavily armed, stormed the community around 1pm on Wednesday, firing shots indiscriminately.
The attack caused widespread panic, forcing residents, including women and children to flee into nearby bushes in search of safety.
Sources confirmed that eight people, among them three police officers, lost their lives during the incident, while several others suffered gunshot injuries.
A resident, who doesn’t want to be quoted, said the assailants arrived in large numbers and threw the community into chaos.
“They came in large numbers and started shooting. People were running in different directions. The whole community was in confusion,” the source said.
The source further revealed that a distress call was made to the Donga Police Division, situated a few kilometres away, prompting the deployment of reinforcements alongside soldiers from the 93 Battalion in Takum.
It was also gathered that the community has been largely deserted since the attack, with security operatives, including soldiers and mobile police officers, maintaining presence in the area to restore order.
While reacting to the development, the Police spokesman in Taraba State Command, ASP Victor Mshelizah, confirmed that the command received a distress report from a resident, Zaki Orbanga of Tordamisa Akate Ward, stating that suspected armed bandits had attacked Tse Kwe village.
He explained that officers led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Donga, together with operatives of the Special Force, were immediately mobilised to the scene.
“On arrival at the location, the suspected armed bandits opened fire on the police team, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire. The police operatives responded swiftly and repelled the attackers,” he said.
Mshelizah disclosed that CPL Raphael Danjuma and PC Ebenezer Daniel sustained fatal gunshot wounds in the line of duty, while another officer, PC Samuel Bawa, was initially declared missing but was later found dead in a nearby bush.
He also confirmed that the body of Nutsa Tyav, a 60-year-old chairman of the local vigilante group in Tordamisa, was recovered after the attack.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Betty Isokpan Otimenyin, has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the brave officers and the vigilante member who paid the supreme price while protecting the state and the nation at large.
“The command extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assures them that their sacrifice will not be forgotten,” the police spokesman said
