Unknown gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday invaded Agbudu community in Kogi-Koton-Karfe Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing 14 persons and injuring six.

The state police commissioner, Mr Ede Ayuba, who disclosed this while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Lokoja said he got the report about 2: 00 a.m.

Ayuba said that 13 of the slain victims were from the same family.

“This morning around 2 a.m., my Area Commander called me to report that he received information that there was an attack on Agbudu community.

“I called the SSA on Security of the Local Government in Koton-Karfe to mobilise his vigilante men to assist the police – the DPO and the Area Commander in the area – for them to assess the place and see what assistance they could render.”

Ayuba said that the vigilante officials and the police officers left immediately and by the time they got there, the hoodlums had carried out their operation and left.

The commissioner said he later went to the scene of the crime and took part in the collection of the dead bodies, adding that: “I was there and I was part of those who picked some of the dead bodies we are talking about.”

“Yes, 14 people were killed and about six others were fatally injured. The saddening thing is that out of the 14 dead bodies that were brought out, 13 were from one family.

“In that family, it is only one person that survived. His uncle, his mother, his uncle’s wife, his younger brother, his senior brother’s wife, his wife and all his children were killed,” he said.

The commissioner said that the police had carried out some preliminary investigations and discovered that there had been long-standing communal feud in the community.

“What I think is, there has been a long-standing communal problem around that area which we are not clearly seeing, but we know that it would not be far from it.

“Presently investigation is in progress. The only person that survived the attack is already with us and he is helping us, the chief of that place is also helping us and some other individuals.

“The Ohimege of Koton-Karfe, Mr Abdulrazaq Isa-Koto, is also helping us, the local government and all the personnel are helping us.

“We are sure, God helping us, we are going to get to the root of all these things that are happening.

“In the interim, I want to give the assurance that we are not going to relent in our efforts. We will make sure we get to the root of anything that is behind the killings,” he said.

PT