Four police officers and seven civilians were killed when suspected bandits attacked Ayilamo community in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The Benue State Police Command said the attack occurred on Thursday evening and lasted for about seven hours before security operatives repelled the attackers.
According to the command, the assailants invaded the community at about 6:12pm on September 10 and engaged police operatives in a prolonged gun battle.
The police said officers from the Police Mobile Force, tactical teams and conventional police units confronted the attackers and forced them to retreat into the surrounding forest in the early hours of Friday.
The command’s spokesperson, Orchia Aondongu, said the security operatives stood their ground and successfully repelled the attack.
However, four police officers were killed during the operation.
The command identified the deceased officers as Paul Ina, Mohammed Yusuf, Oge Ikechukwu and Edeh Andrew.
Their bodies were later recovered from surrounding bushes during search operations, the police said.
Seven civilians were also killed, with their bodies recovered and deposited at a mortuary.
A resident, Tyolumun Ugande, told journalists that about 200 suspected armed herders invaded the community, shooting at residents and setting houses on fire.
He said Mobile Police officers deployed to the area engaged the attackers in a gun battle.
“After several hours of exchange of gunfire, the bandits retreated but on Friday morning four bodies of Mobile Policemen and residents of the community were recovered in the bush,” Ugande said.
The Secretary of the Ayilamo Security Committee, Umishi Terungwa, also confirmed the attack.
He said the victims included community elders, residents and security personnel.
Some of the civilian victims were identified as Nyikyaa Agia, Mkohol Ahowe, Agah Saanmoyol, popularly known as Dodo, Mlahaga Kpurkpur and Geoffrey Gaku, also known as Bala, as well as two children.
While Ugande initially put the death toll at 12, including four police officers and eight civilians, the police later confirmed 11 deaths comprising four officers and seven civilians.
The latest attack came about a year after the Ayilamo Police Station was upgraded to a divisional headquarters as part of efforts to improve security in the area.
The upgrade was approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, in August 2025 alongside the creation of two area commands and the upgrade of five police stations to divisional status.
The police had said the restructuring was aimed at addressing geographical gaps between police formations and vulnerable communities in troubled parts of the state.
Ayilamo was among the stations upgraded, alongside Yelewata, Jato-Aka, Okpokolo and Agan.
The police said the changes were also designed to improve response to distress calls and help address farmer-herder conflicts in the affected areas.
Following Thursday’s attack, the command said additional tactical teams had been deployed to Ayilamo to reinforce existing security arrangements.
The police said they were working with other security agencies to strengthen operations and prevent further attacks.
Commissioner of Police, Cletus Nwadiogbu, commended the officers who responded to the attack and paid tribute to the four officers killed.
He also condoled with the families of the deceased civilians and the Ayilamo community.
The command urged residents to remain calm and vigilant and provide useful information to security agencies.
