Bandits kill 12 forest guards in north-central Nigeria, police say

By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA (Reuters) -At least 12 members of a local forest guard unit were killed when armed men attacked the town of Oke-Ode in Kwara state, north-central Nigeria, police said on Monday.

The attack underscores worsening insecurity in northwest and central Nigeria, where armed gangs known locally as bandits have carried out mass killings, kidnappings and raids on rural communities.

Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said the gunmen stormed a local government building at about 0600 GMT on Sunday, firing at random.

Four people were wounded in the attack and are receiving treatment in hospital, police said. Those killed included the local traditional chief.

Kwara state's Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the attack and called for an increased military presence in the area.

In response, the Nigerian army headquarters deployed troops to Kwara to oversee operations, the governor's office said in a statement.

Police said troops and forest security were conducting a joint search for the perpetrators of the attack.

"Those responsible will be brought to justice," Ejire-Adeyemi said.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja; writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; editing by Gareth Jones)

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