Gunmen kill timber contractor in Nasarawa community

Suspected gunmen have shot dead a timber contractor, Zakari Tanko, in an ambush at Ogba community in Umaisha development area of Toto Local Government Council of Nasarawa State.

A relative of the deceased, who preferred anonymity, said the incident happened around 10:23 am on Saturday, while the deceased and his brother were returning on motorcycle from the forest back to Umaisha town.

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According to him, it was then some gunmen with sophisticated weapons opened fire and killed the deceased in the ambush.

He said the deceased left home with his younger brother, Sa’idu Tanko, to supply fuel and food stuffs to timber operators who were cutting timbers for him in the forest at Ogba community, which he said was about 20 kilometers away from neigboring Umaisha town.

“It was while on their way coming back on top of the motorcycle and was seated at back, when the gunmen suddenly laid ambush and opened fire on him.

“But the younger, who was riding the bike managed to escape,” he said.

According to him, members of the community were mobilized to the scene to convey the deceased corpse back home and buried according to Islamic rites.

The Ohimegye of Opanda-Umaisha kingdom, His Royal Majesty (HRM) Alhaji Abdullahi Usman, confirmed the incident via telephone interview with our reporter.

“In fact, it was unfortunate that we lost one of our sons to the hands of some assailants on Saturday, even though the place where the incident happened is at a hinter land, which is about 20 kilometers away from my chiefdom,” he said.

The monarch said the Ogba community shares boundary with Koton-Karfe Local Government Council of Kogi State.

The Chairman of Toto Local Government Council of Nasarawa State, Alhaji Nuhu Adamu Dauda, also confirmed the incident via telephone interview with our reporter, saying he has alerted the security agents in the area about the incident immediately he received the report about the attack.

The spokesman of the Nasarawa State Police Command, ASP Ramhan Nansel, did not pick calls or reply to the text message sent to his phone to confirm the incident.