Officer killed as gunmen attack two police facility, free inmates

At least one police operative was killed on Monday when gunmen attacked Awgu Divisional Police Headquarters in Enugu State, Nigeria’s South-east.

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The slain operative has been identified as Emmanuel Akpa, a police constable.

The police facility is in Awgu Town within Awgu Local Government Area of the state.

Sources told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums who invaded the police facility at about 2 a.m. broke into a cell in the police facility and freed all inmates being detained.

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“The gunmen also carted away some rifles and ammunition after setting the inmates free,” a resident of the area, who asked not to be named, said.

Another source said two police operatives were killed in the attack.

This newspaper reliably gathered that the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Bitrus Giwa, has deployed the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations alongside two police squads to strengthen security in the area.

The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to several calls and a text message seeking his comments.

However, a senior police officer from the deputy commissioner’s office confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES on Monday afternoon.

“The attack actually happened. It is true,” said the officer who asked not to be named because he was not permitted to speak on the incident.

Asked to confirm the number of operatives killed in the attack, the officer said he did not have the information at the moment.

In a related development, some gunmen also attacked the Inyi Divisional Police Headquarters in Oji-River Local Government Area of Enugu State.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that no life was lost in the attack, which was repelled by police operatives on duty.

It is unclear for now if the two separate attacks, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, were carried out by the same gunmen.

Increased attacks

Like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, security has deteriorated in Enugu State with frequent attacks by armed persons.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been blamed for the frequent attacks in the South-east. However, the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

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