Gunmen kill two police operatives in another attack in Nigeria’s south-east

Gunmen have killed two police operatives in a fresh attack in Abia State, south-east Nigeria.

The gunmen were said to have attacked the operatives at their checkpoint at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday in Aba, the commercial hub of the state.

The development occurred barely 48 hours after gunmen killed six persons in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, another state in the South-east.

The Okigwe killing also happened hours before a separate attack on a police facility in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi, another state in the South-east. Five persons were confirmed dead in the Ivo attack.

How the operatives were killed

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the latest attack occurred at Opobo Junction along Ikot Ekpene Road, Ogbor Hill in Aba.

A resident of the area, Tochukwu Ogbuagu, said the operatives were conducting routine stop and search operations when the hoodlums attacked them.

“They were there doing their check, those gunmen swooped on them with a Sienna Vehicle, stepped out and started firing at them.

“Unfortunately, their team leader was gunned down and also one other police officer whom I knew very well,” Mr Ogbuagu narrated.

“They didn’t take their guns, they just gunned them down and took off.”

The resident said the operatives were from Azuka Police Divisional Headquarters in the state.

Another resident of the area, who asked not to be named, said several traders in the area ran away during the attack.

“Many people were running helter-skelter to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

“Many abandoned food items and ran away. Some were matching those food items while running away,” he said.

The police spokesperson in Abia State, Maureen Chinaka, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking her comments.

However, a police operative in the state, who asked not to be named because he was not permitted to speak on the matter, confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES Saturday morning.

“Yes. It is true. Two of them were killed yesterday (Friday),” the operative said.

He argued that the attackers, often linked to Biafra agitation, were not agitators but criminals hiding under the cloak of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to commit crimes.

Worsening insecurity

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

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

The latest attack occurred barely a month after gunmen killed five soldiers in the state on 30 May.

The Nigerian government has accused IPOB of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any 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.