The police command in Kwara State confirmed the killing of five forest guards by gunmen in the early hours of Friday in Nuku village, Kaiama Local Government Area.

In a message sent to Peoples Gazette, the police spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the attackers launched a coordinated assault on a Police Mobile Force (PMF) camp in the community.

‎”‎At about 0345hrs, bandits launched a coordinated attack on the PMF Camp at Nuku village, where five members of the National Forest Guard were fatally shot by armed bandits”, Ms Ejire-Adeyemi said.

“An extensive damage was done on a patrol vehicle belonging to police operatives before the PMF personnel in the camp repelled the bandits.”

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The spokesperson said the commissioner of police in the state had condemned the attack and expressed sympathy with the families of the deceased.

“The command assures residents that tactical and intelligence-driven operations have commenced to track down the perpetrators while continuous monitoring of the situation is ongoing to ensure the safety of residents and prevent further security breaches,” she added.

She urged members of the public to cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information to aid ongoing investigations.

The Gazette had earlier reported the killing of the five officers in the early hours of Friday.