Gunmen kill policeman, abduct 5 others in Nigeria's mining site

ABUJA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- A policeman was killed and five others abducted from a mining Site in Nigeria when a group of gunmen invaded a village in the northern part of the country, local authorities said on Friday.

The gunmen stormed Sunke village in Anka area of the northern state of Zamfara on Wednesday, disarming the policemen who were deployed to provide security at the mining Site operated by expatriates, said Mustapha Gado, chairman of Anka local government area.

Gado confirmed one of the policemen was killed amid heavy shooting. The remaining five were taken away but released unhurt by the gunmen on Thursday.

Upon their return, however, all their rifles had been taken from them.

None of the expatriates operating the Site was taken away or hurt by the gunmen. The reason for the attack remains unclear.

Gado said his office has ordered the immediate close down of the mining Site due to the attack but the operators had refused the order. As of Friday morning, the machinery used on the Site was still there, the local government official said.

"We consulted the relevant authorities on the need to close down the Sites and we got the approval. We served them with quit notice but those operating the Sites have gone ahead to source for more security operatives to man the Sites for them," he added.