The police in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, said they have killed one of the gunmen who attacked Ogidi Police Divisional Headquarters in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
The incident happened at about 2:15 a.m. on Monday.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed this in a statement, said the attack was foiled by police operatives on duty.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said the gunmen stormed the area in their numbers with an unmarked Toyota Hiace Bus, a Toyota Hilux pickup truck and three motorcycles.
The police spokesperson said the attackers, on arrival, started shooting indiscriminately and attempted to gain access into the police facility.
“They were fiercely resisted by police officers on duty and due to the superior gunfire of the operatives, the hoodlums fled the scene while one of the armed men was neutralised by the operatives,” he said.
He said the police facility was “intact” and that there was no casualty on the part of the police.
“The area has been reinforced by the tactical teams of the command and police operation is still ongoing,” Mr Ikenga added.
Increased attacks
Like other states in Nigeria’s south-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
The latest attack occurred about one week after gunmen attacked Abagana Divisional Police Headquarters in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state. Two vigilante operatives were killed by the gunmen during the attack.
Hours after the attack in Abagana, gunmen also killed a police officer and a vigilante operative in Obosi, a community in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state. The gunmen also bombed a police anti-cult unit in the community during the attack.
Earlier this month, gunmen bombed a local office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Ojoto, Idemili South Local Government Area and also attacked a Police Divisional Headquarters in Nnobi, another community in the same council area of the state, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring a 15-year-old girl during the attack.
The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
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