Gunmen attack council headquarters in Anambra, raze vehicles

Gunmen have attacked Ogbaru Local Government Headquarters in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria.

The incident happened on Saturday morning, PREMIUM TIMES gathered.

The council headquarters is in Atani Community.

Residents told this newspaper that the gunmen stormed the secretariat and started firing sporadic shots before setting vehicles within the premises ablaze.

“We woke up this morning and saw all the vehicles in flames,” said one of the residents who asked not to be named.

A video clip, apparently recorded shortly after the attack, has been circulating on various social media platforms.

In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, at least five vehicles were razed by the hoodlums.

From the clip, the vehicles razed included two pickup trucks, two buses and one tricycle truck.

However, one of the pick up trucks was partially burnt.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack in a statement on Saturday evening.

How the gunmen attacked the secretariat

Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said no life was lost in the attack.

The spokesperson said four of the vehicles razed by the hoodlums belonged to vigilante operatives in the area.

He said information available to the police indicated that the gunmen, in large numbers, arrived at the secretariat on motorcycles and one other vehicle, shooting indiscriminately.

“However, they faced strong resistance from the vigilante operatives until the police response team arrived. Due to the superior firepower of the security operatives, the gunmen fled the scene,” he said.

Mr Ikenga said, in response to the attack,  the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations in the state led a joint security force comprising personnel of the Nigerian army, Navy, and other security agencies to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

“Ongoing onslaught operations are being carried out to apprehend the culprits,” he stated.

The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nnaghe Obono, has condemned the attack.

Mr Obono, according to the statement, commended the security operatives for their “bravery” in carrying out the counter operation.

The police commissioner assured residents of Anambra State that the police will sustain the collaboration with other security agencies in the fight against criminals in the state.

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. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.

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