Gunmen kill two police operatives in fresh Imo attack

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

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The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, occurred on Sunday along Okigwe Axis in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.

Sources told this newspaper that the slain operatives were attached to the Majority Leader of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Kingsley Ikoro.

How it happened

A police operative told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday that Mr Ikoro, who represents Afikpo North-West in Ebonyi State Assembly, was travelling with the officers when one of their vehicles developed a mechanical fault.

The two operatives stayed back along the road to look for a mechanic while the lawmaker continued his journey in other vehicles.

“While they were there, some hoodlums ambushed them and opened fire on them. They died immediately,” the operatives, who asked not to be named, said.

Police speak

When contacted on Monday afternoon, the police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, confirmed the attack and killing of the operatives to PREMIUM TIMES.

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Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Aboki Danjuma, has launched a manhunt for the killers.

“The commissioner has ordered deployment of tactical and operational resources to make sure the hoodlums were apprehended and brought to book,” he said.

The spokesperson said police operatives were combing the bushes around the area to track down the attackers.

He said the bodies of the slain officers had been recovered and deposited in a morgue.

Increased attacks

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.

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Hundreds of people have been killed or abducted and several others injured in the attacks in the region.

The latest attack occurred less than two weeks after gunmen killed several people and injured many in multiple attacks in three communities in Ideato North Local Government Area of the state.

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

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