Police React as Gunmen Kill 4 Operatives, POS Operator in Fresh Imo Attack
- Four police officers were killed by gunmen on Monday, July 29, on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Owerri, Imo state
- An anonymous witness suggested that the gunmen might have been enforcing the illegal sit-at-home order
- Henry Okoye, the Imo State police spokesperson, confirmed that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were responsible for the attack
Owerri, Imo State - Gunmen have fatally attacked four police officers in Imo State, South-East Nigeria.
According to reports, the incident took place around 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 29, on the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Owerri, the state capital.
Source: Twitter
As reported by Premium Times, Tony Onwumelu, a local shop owner, while narrating the incident said that the assailants targeted the officers at their checkpoint in the area.
Onwumelu said:
“Yes, the gunmen targeted the police officers at their checkpoint near Blossom Hotel, resulting in the deaths of four officers.
“They also fired at bystanders, killing a woman who operated a POS at the junction. She was shot at close range."
Gunmen may be enforcing sit-at-home order
Another anonymous witness suggested that the attackers were likely enforcing the illegal sit-at-home order due to their method of operation, TheCable reported.
He said:
“They not only killed the police officers but also shot at random people as if they were trying to force everyone to stay indoors."
Furthermore, the resident expressed concern over the recent surge in gunmen attacks in the area.
IPOB carried out the attack, Police react
Henry Okoye, the police spokesperson in Imo State, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday.
He attributed the attack to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
According to Okoye, the operatives were ambushed during a routine patrol on the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway at Irete.
Mr Okoye reported that the Commissioner of Police in Imo, Aboki Danjuma, has condemned the killings of both the police operatives and the civilian, calling it a “heinous crime.”
The spokesperson added that the police commissioner has dispatched the command’s Tactical Units, equipped with all available operational resources and intelligence, to collaborate with other security agencies in a concerted effort to apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
Bandits attack kill 4 in Zamfara village
In another development, Legit.ng reported that bandits killed four people and kidnapped 150 others, including two infants aged six and eight months, during an attack on Dan Isa village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara state on Sunday, July 14.
This incident occurred just a week after 46 residents of Dogon Kade were released by bandits following an alleged ransom payment of N21 million.
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Source: Legit.ng
