Gunmen kill seven policemen in Abuja as Katsina boat mishap claims four

Supedted gunmen opened fire on a stop-and-search duty post in Galadimawa, Abuja on Monday night, killing seven police officers on duty.The Guardian learnt that the assailants shot the men from their vehicle and zoomed off, causing panic, while motorists and residents scampered for safety as gunshots rent the air.

But it could not be immediately ascertained if the attackers went away with the firearms of the deceased policemen.The bodies of the slain officers were later evacuated from the scene in a police van, while pictures of the men surfaced online shortly afterwards.

The state Commissioner of Police, Sadiq Bello, confirmed the incident, but failed to provide details on the killings, stating that the command would soon issue a statement on the incident and arrest the suspected killers.When The Guardian contacted the Force Headquarters, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Jimoh Moshood did not take his calls.

Bello, however, said the force would not leave any stones unturned in bringing the perpetrators to book, adding: “The killings go a long way to prove that the call for the disbandment of the SARS is unjustifiable.”

Residents of Galadimawa had complained of lack of security that had led to incessant robbery attacks on the area.In a related development, four girls have died following a boat mishap in Malumfashi Local Council of Katsina State.

An eyewitness said the victims had boarded the boat from Unguwar Dan-Zango village of Kankara Local Council to Malumfashi Dam to buy vegetables.But halfway into the journey and in the wee hours of Sunday, the boat capsized, leading to their death.

Local authorities yesterday said the boat capsized with five girls in it, but residents rescued one of them, while the bodies of the deceased were discovered about 24 hours later.It was learnt that the accident was caused by the driver’s inability to control the boat when it got to the middle of the dam.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe, has appealed to the people of Ekwashi in Ohaukwu Local Council not to engage in reprisals following the killing of a couple in the area by the Agila people of Benue State.

He made the appeal when he visited the community to console them over the killing of Ogwa Joseph and his wife, Angelina.Mourning the death of the couple, Igwe described the act as barbaric and unfortunate, as it was coming at a time the state government had made reasonable progress at restoring peace in the area.