There was pandemonium in Powish Village in Kalmai District of Billiri local government area of Gombe State as gunmen attacked the community, killing one person, burnt down houses and carted away several livestock.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Gombe State Command, Buhari Abdullahi disclosed this in a statement issued in Gombe, on Thursday.
According to Abdullahi, the incident occurred at about 1am in the wee hours of Thursday when the hoodlums armed with dangerous weapons including machetes, stormed the village and carted away livestock.
The Gombe Police image maker added that the gunmen also killed one Yusuf Akwara and set houses on fire during the atrocious operation.
“In the early hour of 12/12/2024 at about 0100hrs, information was received from the Divisional Police Officer Billiri LGA, that group of people on motorbikes suspected to be herders armed with dangerous weapons, invaded and attacked Powishi village, set some number of houses ablaze and rustled unknown number of animals.
“On the receipt of the information, a combined team of Police officers and 301 artillery regiment led by the Area Commander Billiri was mobilised and rushed to the scene with a view to containing the situation.”
He however, stated that the assailants had fled the village before the arrival of the security teams.
The PPRO added that efforts were made by the neighbouring village and security personnel to put off the fire.
In the meantime, the Gombe State Police Command has condemned the attack and vowed to bring perpetrators to justice.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the State, CP Hayatu Usman, made the condemnation during an on-the-spot assessment visit to the scene.
CP Usman was accompanied to the village on Thursday afternoon by the Commanding Officer, 301 Artillery Regiment; the state Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Chairperson of Billiri local government area.
The CP urged members of the public to be patient and cooperate with the police in investigating the ungodly act.
He said a team of detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department and men from the 34PMF, 59PMF, and conventional police officers have been deployed to track the perpetrators.
The Command advised the public to contact the police in the event of any emergency via these mobile numbers: 08150567771 or 09036435359.