By Peter Duru
MAKURDI — Ten members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, were yesterday afternoon reportedly gunned down by unknown men at Abaji in Katsina/Ala Local Government Area of Benue State.

Vanguard gathered that the attack also left two members of the task force with life-threatening injuries.

Confirming the attack in a telephone interview, the state chairman of the CJTF, Alhaji Aliu Teshaku, stated that the victims were holding their routine weekly meeting when they were attacked.

Tseshaku said: “The information I received was that our members were in a meeting today (Sunday), when three armed men on motorbike, dressed in Mobile Police uniform, suddenly stormed the meeting venue and opened fire on the unarmed CJTF members killing 10 of them on the spot, while two others were left with serious bullet injuries.”

Lamenting the killings, Teshaku said the CJTF had over a period of time been in a running battle with a traditional ruler in the area, who he said had been threatening members of the task force to leave the area.

He noted that “a few days ago, I reported the matter to the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and just today (yesterday) this happened.”

When contacted, the State Command Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent Moses Yamu, corroborated the account of the CJTF Chairman.

Yamu, however, said nine members of the task force were killed on the spot, while others sustained injuries, adding that the bodies had been deposited at the General Hospital mortuary at Katsina-Ala.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bashir Makama, had drafted more personnel to the area to forestall further attack, while investigations into the matter had commenced.