Officials in Nigeria have said that at least 46 policemen were ambushed and killed by local militia in Nasarawa State on Thursday.
The police were attacked and killed near the shrine to the traditional deity of the Eggon people, in the village of Alakyo, near the state capital, Lafia.
The Nasarawa State police spokesman Sergie Ezegam told the BBC African Service that the policemen were on their way to arrest the leader of the outlawed Ombatse cult when gunmen opened fire on them.
“Forty-six police officers were killed about 10 km (6 miles) from Lafia by members of a militia who had ambushed them on their way to an operation to arrest the leader of the militia group,” Mr. Ezegam told reporters.
Local media quoted Nassarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura as saying the attack was carried out by a cult called Ombatse, meaning “the time has come” in the local Eggon language.
The group has attacked officials, churches and mosques in the past, he said, but added that this week’s assault signified a marked escalation in the scale of its operations.
“Two weeks ago, we discovered a certain militia group holding arms and carrying out cult activities in the state Since January, this thing has not abated and in the past two weeks, it has taken on a totally different dimension,’’ Al-Makura was quoted by local press.
President Goodluck Jonathan has cut short his trip to South Africa and Namibia to return home on Thursday and oversee efforts to contain threats to Nigerian security, highlighted by this week’s bloodshed in the country.
A statement from the president’s office said Mr. Jonathan was returning to Abuja “to personally oversee efforts by national security agencies to contain the fresh challenges to national security which have emerged this week in Borno, Plateau and Nasarawa States”.
Nasarawa police Chief Abayomi Akeremale also said about 60 police officers came under attack on Tuesday in the same village when they decided to arrest the cult leader.
“We decided to send our men to the area to arrest members of Ombatse, including their priest, they have been going to churches and mosques initiating people into their cult by forcefully administering an allegiance oath to unwilling people, Mr. Akeremale said.
The ambush came after 55 people were reportedly killed in the north-east of Nigeria in co-ordinated attacks by the Boko Haram militant group.
The Eggon community is a microcosm of Nigeria – they are said to be evenly divided between Christians and Muslims but many people continue to follow traditional religions.
There are about 250 different ethnic groups in Nigeria, some with their own traditional belief systems and cultural practices.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
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Governor should ready to take responsibilities of what happened to the innocent police officer in the state. All his plans failed him and if govt do not do something about it, Nasarawa state will turn to a battle ground between Eggons and Gwandara, Arago and their machineries hausa fulanis. This is just the begining.
This group came into existing as a result of the inability of the government of Nasarawa State to provide security to protect the lives & properties of villagers across the state. Hired Fulanis & Chadians were send to kill and burns houses of the villagers. Three months ago, some fulanis and chadian invaded some communities of eggons, killing and burning their house and farm produce and the government of Al-makura has done nothing about it, none did we hear him talking in median houses. So the only think an eggon thought about is to go back to his ancestral tradition to protect themselves against this fulanis/hausa and the Chadian. During this period of crises, Al-makura send Solders to guide his community Kwandare. We the eggon people have no confidence in Al-makura administration in providing security to our people. Now Al-makura want to arrest the Chief Priest of Eggon Shrine, so the sons & daughters of eggon will not be fortify to bullets and machetes, then he send the fulanis and the chadian to go round eggon community and kill them. Al-makura said the group have attacked churches and mosques in past yet he has not come out to mention the churches and mosques that the group have attack. Al-makura, we know your hidden evil agenda against the eggon people, you will not prevail by God grace. Please, ask Al-makura why did he have hatred for a particular tribe in the state, you came to media to tarnish the image of people, God will Judge you.
sorry, the previous comment was a mistake and not intentional, it was a system security issue and should not be clicked Please.
The killing of a human is extemely evil. any such person in this spree of killing is serving the devil and will meet with God Almighty. they will answer to Him.
its stupid to feel one can assault let alone kill a human like you and feel you can get away with it. God Himself will never support this, only satan will. So, any such person who kills should prepare to meet God.
Actually! Dis story is truth. D discovery of dis group came 2 be about, since d beginning of dis yr. Dey form d group in order 2 disturb n disturted people acitvitics,live n properties of people. Bt God’ll supercide dia powa.
This information is nothing but the thruth.
All u ryt is not true. Am an eggon man from nassarawa state. I have been followin this story for the past 1 yr. If the governor said he discovered this people two weeks ago, he is a liar. They hav not attacked any church or mosque. Pls get a comprehensive story before you publish. This story is very wrong
If all security operatives had been doing their works patriotically well, rather than concentrating on bribes on the roads and other relavant areas, all this arms and illegal blood thirsty imigrants wouldn’t have gotten into the country in the first place.their seems to be more arm in individual hands than in government security agent’s The guns u allow in might end up killing u or a love one. May God have mercy on the lost souls.