A police officer has been confirmed dead and another reported missing after a team of officers was deployed to intervene in a violent clash between farmers and herders in Gombe State.
The incident unfolded when officers, led by Oga Karfe, responded to a distress call over alleged farm destruction by Fulani cows on a farmer’s land.
The police team, dispatched to the village to restore calm, was reportedly assaulted by the suspect, who resisted being taken to the station for questioning.
Security sources confirmed the clash took place in Ture Kwei, a community in Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State, after a resident, 65-year-old Gershon Laushege, accused a herder of allowing cattle to graze on his groundnut farm, causing damage estimated at about ₦150,000.
“The situation escalated when other Fulani residents joined in, armed with sticks and cutlasses, and overpowered the police,” a source disclosed.
During the assault, Inspector Hyelda Ephraim was abducted, and his riot gun, cartridges, and bulletproof vest were seized.
In the ensuing chaos, Inspector Yila Ankama fired a warning shot that struck Ahmadu Bappah, a man suspected to be one of the herdsmen.
Following the injury sustained by one of their men, the Fulani mob retaliated by attacking Ankama before fleeing the scene without the injured member.
Other police officers later arrived and de-escalated the tension while taking both Bappah and Ankama to the General Hospital in Kaltungo, where the inspector was pronounced dead on arrival, while the fate of the abducted officer remains uncertain.
Divisional Police Officer Nuhu Pama later led a reinforcement team to the scene, recovering the stolen police gear and restoring calm.
Investigators from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) have since taken over the case, with efforts ongoing to secure the missing officer’s release.
