The Public Relations Officer of the Kogi State Police Command, Mr Williams Anya, confirmed the development in an interview with NAN in Lokoja on Friday.

He said that a police assessment team had visited the community and that many buildings, including places of worship, had been burnt.

Tawari community is a few kilometres off Gegu town along the Lokoja-Abuja highway.

A resident of Tawari community, Mrs Comfort Solomon, who survived the attack, told NAN that the gunmen, numbering about 100 invaded the community late on Thursday.

She said the gunmen came in their numbers on motorcycles and descended on the village, killing and burning buildings until the early hours of Friday.

Solomon said that many places of worship, including the palace of the Akuma of Tawari were burnt down by the invaders.

”The gunmen were up to 100 in number. They came into the community with motorcycles around 11:15 p.m. when villagers were sleeping.

“They entered selected houses, packed foodstuff and motorcycles and burnt selected houses, including homes of clerics.