Four policemen were killed on Friday night when gunmen attacked the Agwa Police Division Headquarters in the Oguta local government area. IMO statussoutheastern Nigeria.
The event, which occurred around 10 p.m., has caused fear among the neighbors.
The armed men also ransacked a section of the facility and some operating vehicles inside the facility.
They were said to have stormed the area in three vehicles, a dump truck and two Sienna cars, and opened fire on the facility, killing the officers in the process.
One resident told PREMIUM TIMES that he heard multiple gunshots overnight at the police facility, but could not say the number of officers killed in the attack.
“It was this morning that we went out and saw dead bodies of police officers there. I’m not sure how many of them were killed, but I saw as many as four (bodies),” he said.
Police spokesman in the state, Michael Abattam, did not return calls or a text message seeking comment on the attack.
worsening insecurity
Like other states in southeastern Nigeria, security has deteriorated in Imo State, with frequent attacks by armed individuals.
Attacks often target security agencies, government officials, and facilities.
The latest incident came just 24 hours after gunmen attacked the residence of a police inspector in Orogwe, a community in the West Owerri Local Government Area of the state. Two of the gunmen were killed in that attack.
Last week, armed men invaded the same Orogwe community and killed seven security guards.
The Nigerian government has charged the outlaws Biafran Indigenous People of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which they want to separate from the southeast and some parts of south-south Nigeria.
The leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for terrorism.
