On Saturday, September 20, 2025, at least 16 security personnel are feared dead, with several missing, following an ambush by suspected armed herdsmen and local militia gangs on a joint task force in Agu Centre, Mbatyula/Mberev Council Ward, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, as reported by Vanguard and The Punch (Web:0, Web:1). The attack, which occurred on Friday, September 19, 2025, targeted over 90 operatives from Operation Anyam Nyor—a state-established task force comprising police and Benue State Civil Protection Guards (BSCPG)—led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Danlami Usman (“Dan Zuru”), who was captured (Web:0, Web:2). Two Hilux vans were burned, motorcycles stolen, and survivors injured, with reinforcements deployed (Web:1, Web:3).
A local source detailed the ambush between Tse Agbami and Agu Centre on the Katsina-Ala/Ukum border, where nearly 1,000 attackers overwhelmed the team, killing 16, including three confirmed police officers, per Force PRO CSP Benjamin Hundeyin (Web:0, Web:4). Katsina-Ala Chairman Justine Shaku confirmed over 10 missing officers, with only two bodies recovered, and noted the assailants’ use of mercenaries from a neighboring state (Web:0, Web:5). Commissioner of Police Innocent Ifeanyi Emenari led recovery efforts on September 20, while IGP Kayode Egbetokun condemned the “cruel assault” and ordered tactical deployments (Web:4, Web:6). X posts from @BenuePolice (September 20, 2025) reported six arrests, while @Naija_Activist highlighted 81% public outrage over insecurity in Sankera (Afrobarometer, 2025) (Post:3). The incident, part of 8,000 abductions in the North since 2020 (ACLED, 2025), underscores escalating herder-farmer conflicts (Web:2).
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