Four police officers were killed in two separate attacks on patrol teams in Kogi State.
Gunmen opened fire on checkpoints in Yagba East and Lokoja, seizing rifles and sparking a security clampdown.
Four police officers have been killed in two coordinated attacks on patrol teams in Kogi State, with their weapons seized by the assailants.
The first incident occurred around 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 21, 2025, when roughly 20 gunmen opened fire on personnel from the 70 PMF Kabba unit attached to Isanlu Area Command at a checkpoint on Ilafin–Odogbe Road in Yagba East Local Government Area.
Security analyst Zagazola Makama reported that Assistant Superintendent of Police Umar Suleman and Corporal Bitrus Isaac died in the assault, and the attackers escaped with two AK-47 rifles loaded with 28 rounds of ammunition. The victims’ remains were taken to the General Hospital Mortuary, while joint security teams launched surveillance, bush combing and intelligence operations to locate the perpetrators.
Later that morning, at about 11:30 a.m., another group of armed men targeted 37 PMF personnel at the Abugi outpost in Lokoja. Inspector Johnson David and Inspector Ehinola Oluwole were killed instantly, and a civilian passerby, Isah Gilad, also lost his life in the crossfire.
The attackers seized a T06 rifle and an AK-47 rifle with 30 rounds each from the slain officers. Their bodies were deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Lokoja for autopsy. Police formations across Kogi have been placed on high alert, with additional deployments at strategic points to prevent further assaults.
