Again, gunmen attack council secretariat in Nigeria’s south-east

Gunmen have again attacked the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that about 20 armed persons invaded the secretariat early Friday morning.

The council headquarters is in the Atani Community.

The development occurred about two months after gunmen attacked the same secretariat.

During the earlier attack which occurred in June, the attackers razed some vehicles and buildings.

It is unclear if the same group carried out the two attacks, and no group has claimed responsibility for them.

The latest attack

In the latest attack, residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen invaded the secretariat and fired sporadic shots.

One of the residents, who asked not to be named for fear of being attacked, said the hoodlums appeared to have used improvised explosive devices to break into some buildings in the secretariat.

“We saw some buildings that were blown up. We believe the gunmen used an explosive device to do that,” he said.

The resident added that the hoodlums also razed some buildings and vehicles in the secretariat during the attack.

Video clip

Some video clips apparently recorded after the attack have been circulating on various social media platforms.

In one clip seen by PREMIUM TIMES, multiple buildings were in flames while firefighters were spotted battling to put out the fire.

At least three vehicles were razed during the attack, another clip showed.

The razed vehicles were a bus, a pickup truck and a Sienna.

Another clip showed some cracked walls said to have been caused by the explosive device used by the gunmen.

Police speak

The police in Anambra State have confirmed the attack.

In a short message forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday morning, the state police spokesperson, Tochukwu Ikenga, said some police operatives “resisted” the gunmen.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said some properties were destroyed and buildings also affected but did not give details.

He said no life was lost in the attack.

He said a joint security team has been deployed in the area.

“The joint security operation is ongoing,” he stated.

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Worsening insecurity

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

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