KANO, Nigeria (AFP) - Gunmen from a shadowy cult ambushed a group of police officers in central Nigeria, killing 23 of them and then setting fire to their bodies, the state's police chief said on Wednesday.

"A detachment of 60 police... came under attack from members of Ombatse cult in an ambush," Nassarawa state police chief Abayomi Akeremale said of the attack on Tuesday. "The Ombatse gunmen opened fire on our men, killing 23 and burning them," he said, adding that 17 officers remain missing.