Some yet to be identified gunmen on Tuesday night, attacked the council headquarters of the Isiala Mbano LGA of Imo State located in the Umuelemai community.
The attack left the headquarters razed and some persons dead.The attack occurred as the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state announced that its primary election for Local Government chairmanship elections were taking place across the state, same day.Though the number of causalities were yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, however, pictures and video clips of the attack are circulating on various Social Media platforms.
A source who preferred anonymity hinted that the attackers struck after they left the venue following the conclusion of the party’s chairmanship primary in the LGA. He disclosed that those who died in the attack were some Ebubeagu security outfit operatives guarding the council headquarters.The source stated, ” we have left the council headquarters before the attack happened. We had concluded our primaries and left before the facility was bombed. Those that died are the Ebubeagu security operatives guarding the council headquarters. This is so unfortunate.”
At the moment, no group has owned up responsibility for the attack as fear envelopes the area.
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, is yet to respond to an inquiry concerning the incident as at Press time.In another development ,gunmen have also attacked and burnt Obowo Police division, killing one Policeman
The gunmen reportedly attacked the Obowo divisional Police Headquarters and killed a cop on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, respectively.
Report has it that while the fleeing gunmen killed a Policeman in his house at NEPA junction in Umulogho community on Tuesday night, they returned on Wednesday morning and razed the divisional headquarters situated in Otoko community.It was further gathered that on arrival on Tuesday night, the attackers sought for a particular police officer living in one of the apartments in the building.
On identifying him, he was reportedly brought out together with his properties and killed.The gunmen were said to have razed his properties after killing him and zoomed off.
The Tuesday night attacks in Obowo LGA were said to have been characterised with heavy gunshots for about thirty minutes, and was said to have happened concurrently with the Isiala Mbano council headquarters attack.
According to Okeomanews, “So far a police operative was brought out of his house alongside his properties and killed at NEPA Junction axis of Umuadara, Umulogho Obowo, while a male student of College of Nursing Sciences Umulogho was hit on the chest (rib) axis by stray bullet
“Other victims are yet to be identified.
“Shockingly, we woke up to rocking sounds from explosives and gunshots from Otoko Axis, and later discovered that Otoko Police Station was set ablaze.”
Another source hinted newsmen that the first attack happened between 8pm and 9pm on the same day,while the second attack occured around 3am.
He said, ” the house has some policemen and student Nurses as the tenants. On arrival, the gunmen insisted to see a particular policeman who lives there. On identifying him, they killed him and destroyed his properties before driving off.
A stray bullet also hit one of the student Nurses and he was rushed to a hospital. The student Nurse is not dead. He is alive. This one happened on Tuesday night. After they left some policemen and soldiers came and evacuated the corpse of the policeman.
“Then around 3am on Wednesday, the gunmen returned. This time they attacked Otoko Police Divisional Headquarters. They shot for close to 30 minutes. Nobody knows the number of causalities in the second attack as fear hasn’t allowed anybody to near the razed police facility.
A response from the police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, was being awaited as the time of filing this report.
These attacks followed the Tuesday night attack on the Isiala Mbano LGA council headquarters situated in the same Okigwe zone of the state.
The Isiala Mbano LGA attack left the council headquarters burnt and some security operatives guarding the facility dead.
