At least two police officers were killed when gunmen attacked their patrol vehicle along old Gariki Road Okigwe in Imo State, Police authorities said in a statement.
According to the statement by the Police on Saturday 23rd March 2024, the incident, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, occurred when the personnel of MOPOL 18, Owerri were ambushed while on patrol duty in Okigwe area of the state.
The gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN) were said to have thrown dynamite on the officers’ patrol vehicle and engaged them in a protracted gunfight.
It was learnt in the process, two officers were killed while four others sustained multiple injuries.
Confirming the incident, Imo Police spokesman, Henry Okoye said: “The state Commissioner of Police Aboki Danjuma has condemned the attack and gruesome murder of personnel of Mopol 18, Owerri, by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN).
“The officers were ambushed in the early hours of today, 23/03/2024 while on patrol duties along old Gariki Road Okigwe by the disgruntled elements who threw dynamite on the officer’s patrol vehicle and engaged them in a protracted gunfight. In the process, two officers paid the ultimate price while four others survived the attack.”
He said the police boss with Commander Mopol 18 and 64, immediately led operatives of the Command’s Special Tactical Unit to the crime scene for on-the-spot assessment and tasked the operatives to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the attack.