Over 20 policemen killed in fresh attack in central Nigeria

ABUJA. More than 20 policemen have been killed by a militia group known as Ombatse at Atakio village in central north Nigeria’s Nasarawa State, the state governor Umaru Al-Makura said on Wednesday.Al-Makura told reporters in Abuja that the victims were murdered while on official duty on the fateful day.He said the policemen were on lawful duty of dislodging the group when they were ambushed and killed.According to him, the militia group, which had besieged the state, were bent on destabilizing the state government, noting that the group was causing the commotion and insecurity in order to upstage the government.Al-Makura, who was in Abuja to brief Vice President Namadi Sambo on the menace of the group, told reporters that the State government had a year ago dislodged the group.He regretted that the group re-surfaced about a fortnight ago unleashing mayhem, killing innocent people.According to him, the militia has resumed hostility by attacking and forcibly initiating people from their tribal group into their group by making them to drink prepared concoctions to hallucinate them and make them do their bidding.He expressed the readiness of his administration to uproot the group Ombatse, which in Eggon language means time has come, by whatever means available to it.