By ZAGAZOLA MAKAMA

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have killed a serving police inspector and one other civilian in Ikyac-Gev Village, North Bank axis of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the police confirmed on Tuesday.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on Monday, when Inspector Igba Terwase Timothy, attached to the Works Department of the Police Headquarters in Makurdi, was returning to town after receiving treatment for a knee injury in his village.

The sources said his younger brother, Igba Aondogu, reported the incident at the ?C? Division Police Station, prompting the immediate deployment of detectives to the scene. The bodies of the inspector and another yet-to-be-identified victim were recovered during the operation.

Reacting swiftly, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State ordered the deployment of the tactical team, Operation Zenda, to the area. The operatives traced the assailants to a suspected herders? hideout.

On sighting the advancing team, the armed men reportedly opened fire from a distance but were repelled in a fierce gun duel. The suspects fled the scene, abandoning a 12-year-old boy identified as Dahiru Eti, believed to be one of their junior accomplices.

The police source added that the suspect was apprehended and is currently in police custody, assisting with investigations to track down the fleeing attackers.

The Benue State Police Command has vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and assured residents of heightened surveillance and patrols to prevent further attacks. (Zagazola)

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