Armed men suspected to be herders have killed a cleric, Mallam Yusuf Akwara, in Powishi Village, Kalmai District, the Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The assailants, armed with dangerous weapons, stormed the community on motorbikes in the early hours of Thursday, December 12, 2024, set houses ablaze and rustled an unknown number of animals.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, ASP Buhari Abdullahi, who confirmed the incident in a statement said that a combined team of police officers and 301 Artillery Regiment led by the Area Commander Billiri, was mobilised to contain the situation.
“The assailants fled the village before the arrival of the security teams. However, the neighbouring village and security personnel were able to put out the fire,” the PPRO stated.
The Commissioner of Police, Hayatu Usman, visited the scene alongside the Commanding Officer of the 301 Artillery Regiment, the Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Chairperson of Billiri LGA to assess the situation and commiserate with the affected families and communities.
Abdullahi assured all that the police have deployed a team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department and men from 34PMF, 59PMF, and conventional police to track and bring the perpetrators to book.
“The CP urges members of the public to be patient and cooperate with the police in investigating this ungodly act,” Abdullahi stated.