At least five policemen were reportedly killed in the midnight gunmen attack in Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria.

Sources in Birnin Gwari, a town located over 100km from Kaduna metropolis, told News Express that they counted up to five bodies of police casualties but some police officers and an official in the Emir of Birnin Gwari’s palace however insisted that only three police officers, among them a sergeant, lost their lives in the deadly coordinated attack.

“I only saw the evacuation of the body of a police sergeant and two other ranks that include mobile police officers that I cannot recall their ranks. The bodies were transported to Kaduna this morning,” a police source said.

Lamenting their ordeal, the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Jibrin Mai Gwari, had said that the last time he heard the kind of heavy bombardment to which his community was subjected in the wee hours of today was during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70.

His words: “The sound of thunderous heavy fire power is similar to that heard during the civil war as we heard heavy exchange of fire with policemen during the attack.”

The monarch, however, disagreed with those attributing the attack on his community to Boko Haram, clarifying that, contrary to reports, “No church or mosque is involved in this attack, but the Police Station and two banks were affected.”

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen held Birnin Gwari under siege for over two hours – from around 1:30am. The invaders completely burnt the Police Station, bombed their way into First Bank and Oceanic Bank and carted away unspecified amount of money from the strong room.

“We heard heavy exchange of fire that over powered the few policemen at the police station. The robbers are so many and they operated for over two hours with impunity. I have never heard this kind of heavy fire power in my life,” one of the residents said on phone in a shaking voice.

Authorities are yet to make any official response to the attack. Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer DSP Aminu Lawal and the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations Officer, 1 Division, Colonel Usman Kukasheka, as well as the Director General (DG) Media to Kaduna State Government, Ahmed Maiyaki, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to them.

News Express reports that Birnin Gwari has come of recent under frequent attack by armed robbers. The last deadly attack was in a mosque at Dogon Dawa that killed 24 worshipers during early morning prayers late last year.

•Photo: Police Inspector-General, M.D. Abubakar.