BREAKING TRAGEDY: 11 Police Officers Missing, Presumed Dead As Bandits Ambush Security Patrol In Benue

Two Patrol Vehicles Razed, Machine Gun Seized In Fierce Gun Battle

Benue State has once again been thrown into mourning as a deadly ambush by heavily armed bandits left 11 police officers missing and feared dead during a security patrol in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area on Friday, September 19, 2025.

According to a situation report released by the Benue Special Operations Command, the officers—drawn from the State Intelligence Service (SIS), the elite Operation Zenda, and the Forest Guard—had embarked on a mission to storm a notorious bandits’ camp at Agu Centre.

The mission, however, turned into a nightmare when the operatives came under a hail of bullets from the criminals. In the fierce exchange of gunfire, two police Hilux patrol vehicles were set ablaze, and a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) belonging to Operation Zenda was carted away by the attackers.

Eyewitness accounts and official reports confirmed that several officers were gunned down during the ambush, though their bodies are yet to be retrieved as the bandits reportedly overran the scene.

Despite the intensity of the attack, the security team was able to protect and withdraw an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), riddled with bullet holes, to the nearest military checkpoint—a move the command hailed as an act of bravery under fire.

> “Our APC has been damaged by bullets from the assailants, but we managed to protect it and successfully move it to the nearest army checkpoint. As of now, 11 police officers remain missing, presumed dead,” the command confirmed in its statement.

The chilling development has sparked fresh concerns over the rising wave of violence in Katsina-Ala and other flashpoints across Benue State, with residents and security watchers demanding tougher action against the insurgent groups terrorizing rural communities.

Security analysts warn that the loss of both personnel and sophisticated weaponry to the bandits underscores the growing audacity of armed groups in the region.

Meanwhile, security reinforcements have reportedly been deployed to comb the forests and recover the bodies of the fallen officers, as authorities brace for the ripple effects of yet another bloody attack in Nigeria’s troubled Middle Belt.