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| Nigeria attack: Nasarawa cult ambush 'kills 23 police' | Nigeria attack: Nasarawa cult ambush 'kills 23 police' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| At least 23 police officers in Nigeria have been killed in an ambush by a local militia in the central Nasarawa state, officials have said. | At least 23 police officers in Nigeria have been killed in an ambush by a local militia in the central Nasarawa state, officials have said. |
| They were on their way to arrest the leader of the outlawed Ombatse "cult" when gunmen opened fire, a state spokesman told the BBC. | They were on their way to arrest the leader of the outlawed Ombatse "cult" when gunmen opened fire, a state spokesman told the BBC. |
| Sani Musa Mairiga said they were forcing local villagers to swear an oath of allegiance to the group. | Sani Musa Mairiga said they were forcing local villagers to swear an oath of allegiance to the group. |
| The state police chief said that 17 officers were still missing. | The state police chief said that 17 officers were still missing. |
| Nasarawa police chief Abayomi Akeremale said about 60 police officers came under attack. | Nasarawa police chief Abayomi Akeremale said about 60 police officers came under attack. |
| "We decided to send our men to the area to arrest members of Ombatse, including their priest," he told the AFP news agency. | "We decided to send our men to the area to arrest members of Ombatse, including their priest," he told the AFP news agency. |
| "[They] have been going to churches and mosques initiating people into their cult by forcefully administering an allegiance oath to unwilling people." | "[They] have been going to churches and mosques initiating people into their cult by forcefully administering an allegiance oath to unwilling people." |
| The police were attacked on Tuesday near the shrine to the deity of the Eggon people, in the village of Alakyo, near the state capital, Lafia. | The police were attacked on Tuesday near the shrine to the deity of the Eggon people, in the village of Alakyo, near the state capital, Lafia. |
| Ombatse means "the time has come" in the Eggon language. | Ombatse means "the time has come" in the Eggon language. |
| The Eggon community are a microcosm of Nigeria - they are said to be evenly divided between Christians and Muslims but many people continue to follow traditional religions. | |
| There are about 250 different ethnic groups in Nigeria, some with their own traditional belief systems. |