Two police operatives killed as gunmen attack another police facility in South-east

Gunmen have killed two police operatives in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.

The officers were killed when the attackers invaded Umunze Divisional Police Headquarters in the state.

Umunze is a community in Orumba South Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday afternoon.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the hoodlums launched the attack in the early hours of Monday.

This latest attack occurred hours after gunmen attacked Njaba Divisional Police Headquarters in Imo, another state in the South-east. Three gunmen were killed in the attack.

Anambra attack

The police in Anambra State said the hoodlums who carried out the latest attack in the state were suspected members of an unnamed secessionist group.

“The suspected armed proscribed group invaded the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically and fire caught part of the station.

“Unfortunately, two of the police operatives on duty during the gun battle in a bid to resist the assailants from causing more havoc, paid the supreme price,” Mr Ikenga said.

“Their (police operatives) bodies have been recovered and taken to the morgue.”

Recovery of bombs

Mr Ikenga said a combined security team comprising personnel of the police, army, navy and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps were already on the trail of the attackers.

The spokesperson said the combined security team recovered five unexploded improvised explosives.

He said the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono, has visited the scene to reinforce and reassess security deployment.

Mr Obono appealed to residents of the state to support the police with information that will aid investigation into the attack.

The police chief assured the residents that their information to the police will be treated with “utmost confidentiality.”

Worsening insecurity

Like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo State with frequent attacks by armed persons.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

About two weeks ago, gunmen attacked Obowo Police Divisional Headquarters in Obowo Council Area of the state.

The Obowo attack which occurred on 4 September resulted in the killing of a police operative.

Barely 24 hours later, gunmen bombed Oba Police Divisional Headquarters in Anambra, another state in the South-east.

Another police officer was killed in the attack which happened on 2 September.

Within the same day, gunmen attacked the headquarters of Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, killing at least two persons.

In late August, gunmen again attacked the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra, another state in the South-east.

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In June, some armed persons attacked the same Ogbaru Local Government Secretariat.

The Nigerian government has accused Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.