Gunmen have killed two people and injured another during an attack on Ibado-Akpacha, a community in Akpacha Ward of Ife District, Omala Local Government Area, Kogi State.
The armed men reportedly invaded the community in the early hours of Wednesday, shooting sporadically and robbing residents.
The victims, whose names were yet to be confirmed at the time of filing this report, were said to be local miners who relocated to the area about two years ago following coal mining activities in the community.
Witnesses said the attackers, numbering several and heavily armed, operated freely for nearly an hour, raiding homes and shops before escaping into nearby bushes.
“It was terrifying,” one resident recounted. “We could hear gunshots from every direction. Nobody dared come out until daybreak.”
According to a community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity, the gunmen carted away cash, food items, and other valuables after breaking into several houses and local shops.
“They came prepared and moved from one building to another, taking anything they could lay their hands on,” he said.
He added that neither security operatives nor local vigilantes could intervene during the attack due to the superior firepower of the assailants.
“It would have been suicidal to challenge them. The kind of weapons they carried was unlike anything we’ve seen before,” he added.
Meanwhile, as of press time, the Kogi State Police Command had not issued any statement regarding the attack, which has left community members in fear.
