Two police operatives had been killed on Saturday in Abia State when gunmen attacked a divisional police headquarters in Aba, the industrial hub of the South-eastern state.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the attackers invaded the police facility at about 2 a.m. on Saturday.
Residents informed this newspaper that the hoodlums opened hearth upon arrival on the station earlier than throwing an improvised explosive units into the ability which broken some buildings on the station.
They mentioned the attackers additionally set a police van ablaze and destroyed a Toyota automobile, an influence generator and different valuables in the constructing.
Police communicate
The police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the attack and the killings in a press release on Saturday.
Ms Chinaka, a deputy superintendent of police, mentioned the attack occurred at precisely 2:26 a.m. at Urratta-Eziukwu Area, a neighborhood in Aba South Local Government Area of the state.
“At about 02:26hrs, the hoodlums attacked the division with explosives, ensuing in a hearth that broken a part of the constructing and the divisional patrol van.
“Sadly, two senior police officers lost their lives, while three inspectors sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical attention,” she mentioned.
The spokesperson clarified that, opposite to claims, no firearms or ammunition had been carted away by the gunmen throughout the attack.
Ms Chinaka mentioned, in response to the attack, the Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Wilfred Afolabi, has personally led an operational staff comprising tactical items of the command to the realm.
“The team combed the surrounding environment and restored calm, while intensified security operations and monitoring are ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators,” she mentioned.
The spokesperson mentioned Mr Afolabi has condemned the attack and vowed to trace down the attackers.
The commissioner emphasised that the police in the state would deploy all vital operational and intelligence sources to determine and observe down the killers.
The police chief commiserated with the households of the slain operatives.
He urged residents to stay calm, vigilant and to assist the police with info that would help the continuing investigation.
“Information can be reported at the nearest police station, through the suggestion boxes and contact details of the DPO’s provided at police divisions,” he mentioned, dropping some cell numbers for residents with info.
First time in very long time
The newest attack marks the primary such incident is occurring in the state in a very long time.
Like in different components of the South-east, assaults by armed individuals particularly on police services had considerably waned in latest years in the area.
The area, prior to now, witnessed elevated assaults usually attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
But IPOB, a gaggle looking for secession of the South-east and South-south from Nigeria, had repeatedly denied its involvement in the assaults.
Recall {that a} latest PREMIUM TIMES’ special report revealed that assaults and killings have diminished by 50 per cent in the South-east because the arrest and imprisonment of a controversial Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, in Finland in 2025.
Meanwhile, no group has claimed duty for the most recent lethal attack in Abia State.
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