At least 11 police officers are missing and feared dead after a violent bandit attack on a joint security patrol in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State on Friday, September 19, 2025.
According to a situation report from the Benue Special Operations Command, the combined patrol team—made up of operatives from the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Operation Zenda, and the Forest Guard—had set out on a mission to a known bandit hideout at Agu Centre when they came under heavy gunfire.
The attackers reportedly torched two police Hilux vehicles and seized a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) belonging to Operation Zenda. The report confirmed that while some officers were killed in the ambush, their bodies have yet to be retrieved from the bandits’ camp.
“On Friday, September 19, 2025, at about 0800 hrs, our joint team of SIS operatives, Operation Zenda, and the Forest Guard embarked on a patrol to Agu Centre in Katsina-Ala LGA. They came under intense fire from the bandits. Two Hilux vehicles were burnt, one GPMG was carted away, and an unknown number of officers were killed. We are yet to recover the bodies,” the report stated.
Despite sustaining bullet damage, the operatives managed to protect an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) and moved it safely to the nearest army checkpoint.
The command praised the officers’ gallantry and professionalism in the face of overwhelming firepower but confirmed that 11 officers remain missing and are presumed dead.
“Our APC was damaged by bullets from the assailants, but we successfully secured it and moved it to safety. At this time, 11 of our men are unaccounted for and presumed dead,” the statement concluded.
