By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Jalingo
Suspected militia have killed three police officers and five civilians in a deadly attack on Tor-Damisa community in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The gunmen, said to be heavily armed, reportedly stormed the community around 1 p.m. on Wednesday, opening fire indiscriminately and throwing residents into panic.
Witnesses said the attackers shot in all directions, forcing villagers, including women and children, to flee into nearby bushes for safety.
The latest killings come barely three months after a councillor and 10 others were murdered during a farmers-herders clash in the same area.
Southern Taraba, particularly Donga, Wukari and Takum local government areas, has in recent times witnessed recurring violence linked to militia attacks and communal conflicts.
A local source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the scene as chaotic, saying residents ran in different directions as the attackers overwhelmed the community.
According to the source, a distress call was quickly sent to the Donga Police Division, prompting the deployment of reinforcement teams, including soldiers from the 93 Battalion in Takum.
Security operatives were said to have engaged the attackers in a gun duel, but the militia reportedly inflicted casualties before retreating, leaving the area deserted.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Taraba State Command, Victor Mshelizah, said officers responded swiftly to a distress call from a resident reporting an attack on Tse Kwe village in Tor-Damisa.
He said the police team, led by the Divisional Police Officer in Donga and supported by special forces, came under heavy fire on arrival, leading to the death of three officers—CPL Raphael Danjuma, PC Ebenezer Daniel and PC Samuel Bawa, whose body was later recovered after he was initially declared missing.
The spokesperson added that the corpse of a 60-year-old vigilante chairman, Nutsa Tyav, was also recovered, while the Commissioner of Police, Betty Enekpen Isokpan, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured that the sacrifices of the fallen officers would not be in vain.
The attack comes amid renewed efforts by Governors Agbu Kefas and Hyacinth Alia to contain insecurity in the two states.
