Police authorities in Benue State say 14 bandits were killed following an attempted attack on a police station on Sunday morning.

A spokesperson for Benue police, Catherine Anene, said in a statement that the gunmen numbering about 50 launched an attack in early hours of Sunday on a police station at Katsina-Ala town of the state, in a bid to free some suspected bandits who were arrested by police on Saturday and detained in the station.

“Operatives at the police division, who were already on alert, engaged the attackers in a fierce gun battle,” adding that 14 of the gunmen were killed at the end of the gun duel while others escaped with bullet wounds”.

According to her, operatives of the force are on the trail of the fleeing bandits and urged local residents to assist the police with useful information that would lead to arrests.

In recent times, bandits have been terrorizing parts of Nigeria, especially the Northeast and Northcentral region, with Benue being one of the worst-hit states.