Gunmen ambushed and shot two police officers on duty in Akabo, Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday morning.
According to The PUNCH, Spokesperson for the State Police Command, ASP Henry Okoye, confirm the incident.
An eyewitnesses reported that the attackers also injured a passer-by at a checkpoint located at Ama-John junction, along the Owerri-Okigwe-Enugu road.
It explained that the gunmen launched their assault in the early hours, catching the officers off guard.
One witness described the scene, saying, “Panic erupted this morning around 6:00 am near Akabo (Ama-John) on the Owerri-Okigwe-Enugu road as gunmen killed two policemen on duty and a passerby. They arrived in a Sienna bus and fled immediately after the attack.”
Speaking on the incident the spokesperson stated, “The Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has mobilized the Command’s Special Tactical Squad, providing them with necessary operational resources and intelligence to collaborate with other security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of the unprovoked attack on police operatives at Akabo in Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State.”
According to ASP Okoye, the early morning attack was carried out by individuals suspected to be members of the banned Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network.
He said, “The tragic incident was perpetrated by hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network who attacked the operatives in their numbers firing sporadically. The operatives fought gallantly but unfortunately, two personnel and a civilian were fatally hit.”
Following the attack, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, accompanied by the DC Operations, led a team of police operatives to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
He assured that intensive operations are ongoing to apprehend and prosecute the attackers.
“Intense operation is ongoing in the area for possible apprehension and prosecution of the fleeing hoodlums responsible for the senseless act of violence,” he stated.
The CP has also established a high-powered investigation team to thoroughly investigate the incident.
Okoye added, “The Commissioner of Police has set up a high-powered investigation team and tasked them to carry out a comprehensive investigation to unravel the perpetrators of the attack.”
He confirmed that the bodies of the two officers and the civilian have been recovered and placed in a mortuary for preservation.
