The Taraba State Police Command has confirmed that residents of Kofai Amadu community in Takum Local Government Area were targeted in an ambush attack.
The incident took place on Thursday afternoon around 4:00 p.m. in a busy trading area where people from various ethnic backgrounds were going about their normal commercial activities.
According to those who witnessed the incident, chaos broke out when gunshots suddenly rang out from a bush close to the yam market.
Farmers heading home from their fields, traders, and other people in the market area were thrown into a panic and fled to safety.
In the ensuing confusion, some farmers working on nearby farmlands reported spotting armed individuals moving around a settlement roughly two kilometres from the market.
As the situation unfolded, the body of a young man bearing gunshot wounds was discovered. Community members promptly alerted security operatives, who arrived at the scene to restore order and begin initial investigations.
Residents of Kofai Amadu have since called on security agencies to step up surveillance in the area and ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
Confirming the attack, police spokesperson Victor Mshelizah said he was informed that the victims had gone to a crisis-affected area to retrieve personal belongings when they were ambushed by armed men suspected to be Fulani militia.
He confirmed that one person was shot and pronounced dead by a medical doctor, and added that the area has since been brought under control and is currently calm.
