Utweets
S/E zone has continued to witness high level of insecurity lately as unknown gun men resume attack on Mondays. Abia, Ebonyi, Anambra states on the edge as unknown gun men attack police stations
Police down play the incidents, say they are on top of the situation. In recent times, South East zone comprising Enugu, Abia, Imo, Anambra and Ebonyi states have been living with no fear of any security threats on Mondays which is said to be sacred in the zone. ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE
In fact, in the last quarter of last year, the Monday sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has gradually collapsed, leaving many businesses to throw their doors open on Mondays.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that aside banks, all other service providers like schools, private businesses and government offices have continued to open on Mondays, ignoring the Monday sit-at-home order.
However, few months ago, the security situation has continued to deteriorate, as the unknown gun men have resumed their atrocious operation, killing security operatives and innocent citizens especially on Mondays.
In any case, in August 2024, unknown gunmen killed a policeman and injured another following an attack on their convoy at Ubakala in Umuahia South council area, Abia State.
This is happening four days after some yet-to-be-identified gunmen also killed two soldiers at a checkpoint in Umuopara Umuahia, near the Abia-Imo border.er of two4 / 1:00
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the policemen, said to be attached to one of the federal lawmakers in the state, were travelling at about 9 p.m. that Sunday when the gunmen attacked their convoy at Ubakala.
However, the lawmaker was not in the convoy at the time of the attack.
Police sources told newsmen that the gunmen dressed in black and wearing police jackets had blocked the convoy, which had the two policemen and a driver in a Toyota Corolla.
The gunmen opened fire on the policemen after they identified themselves as police officers.
In the ensuing gunfire, a policeman was killed, while the other was injured and being feared dead.
The source added that the gunmen fled the scene as policemen from nearby Ubakala Division responded with gunfire.
On November 4, there was tension and pandemonium at Owerrinta, located along the Umuahia-Aba Federal Expressway in Abia state as Gunmen opened fire and attacked the Police Rapid Response Squad facility killing a female detainee.
The state Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, said the gunmen attacked the RRS facility at about midnight with three Hilux .
It was gathered that the murdered detainee was arrested in connection with a child trafficking case.
The gunmen arrived in about three Hilux vehicles and opened fire on the RRS facility at about midnight.
The state Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, said the gunmen arrived in about three Hilux vehicles and opened fire on the RRS facility at about midnight on Monday, November 4.
According to his report, Isa said one suspect was arrested with the assailants while attempting to release detainees. “Our personnel repelled the attack. However, the assailants used dynamite to blow off our roof. In their attempt to release detainees, they opened fire, resulting in the tragic death of a female suspect.”
“Following the incident, we pursued the suspects using technical methods and successfully arrested one individual. The police are currently interrogating him to identify other accomplices. We are making progress.”
Recall also that few months before, gunmen attacked a police checkpoint and killed two officers in June 2024. The daredevil gunmen also injured one other policeman during the attack at Opobo junction along Ikot Ekpene Road, Ogbor Hill.
The tragic incident happened barely a month after some soldiers attached to the 144 Battalion in Aba, were killed.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that Abia state has reportedly been on fire for some months as no fewer than three Nigerian soldiers were killed by masked gunmen in the commercial city of Aba in Abia state in May 2024.
The gunmen who attacked the soldiers unaware in SUVs burnt their patrol van and the outpost at Obikabia junction. It was gathered that military aircraft started hovering around Aba city centre after the attack on Thursday, May 30.
Again on July 21, unknown gun men spread another sorrow in the state as a police Inspector identified as Shehu Oyibo attached to the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, and three civilians were killed as gunmen attacked a police patrol team along Mosque street by Ngwa road, Aba, Abia State.
This is three weeks after gunmen killed two policemen at Opobo junction, Ogbor Hill Aba.
The gunmen who operated in a Toyota Sienna bus at Mosque street by Ngwa road, were said to have opened fire on sighting the police team in the area.
However, the police team repelled the attack. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, three civilians identified as Chika Godliveth, Onyeaturuchi Jonah and Eniobong God’s Gift Clement, were killed by stray bullets.
Police public Relations Officer, Abia State Command, ASP Maureen Chinaka, stated that two gunmen were also killed in the attack while others escaped with bullet wounds.
However, eyewitnesses told newsmen that more people were injured and may have died in the attack.
The PPRO disclosed that the corpses have been deposited at a morgue in the city.
She said;”Today, July 21, 2024, at about 11.28hrs, police operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Aba, Abia State Command, while on patrol along Ngwa Road by Mosque junction, Aba, were attacked by armed men assailants in an ash-colored Sienna vehicle. The armed men opened fire on the police personnel, and the operatives repelled the attack, preventing what could have been a deadlier outcome.
“However, during the exchange of gunfire, two of the assailants were neutralized, while others escaped with various degrees of bullet injuries. Unfortunately, a police officer, Inspector Shehu Oyibo, three civilians who were later identified as Chika Godliveth ‘m’, Onyenaturuchi Jonah ‘m’ 32 years old, from Item, in Bende L.G.A of Abia State, and Eniobong Godsgift Clement ‘f’, 18 years old, from Akwa Ibom State were killed by bullets from the assailants.
“Bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the mortuary, while investigation is ongoing to arrest the fleeing hoodlums.”
The PPRO urged the public to go about their lawful activities without fear, as officers have been deployed to strategic locations in the state to ensure the protection of life and property.
She also urged residents to report any suspicious movements or individuals with bullet injuries to the police.
Enugu state was also not spared from this dastardly scene as unknown gun men continued to unleash mayhem, terror on the zone.
On August 20, 2024, at least four personnel of the Nigerian Police Force were killed by gunmen who attacked popular Four Corner Junction, Ozalla, in Nkanu West LGA in the state.
A community source who spoke to newsmen said the policemen were conducting a stop-and-search at a checkpoint when the gunmen opened fire on them.
A video which later surface on the X on Tuesday showed the lifeless body of a police officer in uniform on the expressway, while a police patrol vehicle burnt nearby.
A user who posted the video wrote: “Policemen just lost their lives at four corner junction, Enugu state…the Expressway that leads to Imo, Abia state from Enugu.”
“Unknown gunmen attacked the police checkpoint at four corners Enugu today being Sunday and killed policemen at Tomorrow is sit at home in Biafra land if you know you know,” another one added.
A former Information Minister and 2023 All Progressives Grand Alliance governorship candidate, Dr Frank Nweke Jr., condemned the attack, describing it as an act of wickedness.
In a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday, Dr Nweke said, “Earlier today, the Ozalla community in Nkanu West LGA, Enugu, experienced the terror of so-called unknown gunmen who attacked policemen on checkpoint duty at the Four Corner Junction along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway. Their patrol vehicle was also destroyed by fire.
“I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased and the men and officers of the Enugu Police Command. It is unacceptable for anyone to die in such a brutal manner while simply performing their duty to protect citizens and maintain public order.”
Ebonyi state also had its own share of the terror as on March 8, 2024 a gang of gunmen killed no fewer than four police officers in Ebonyi State in the wee hours of Friday.
The incident took place at the popular Ebyia Bridge Checkpoint along Hill-Top Road, Abakaliki, around 5 am on Friday.
Also killed were two ladies who were caught in the gunfight.
It was gathered that gunmen had reportedly attacked and killed many security operatives in the state recently.
A resident, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that the assailants were allegedly returning from an operation when they opened fire on the officers.
The source said, “My dear our area has become a hit zone for hoodlums. Just this morning, we heard another incident in which some policemen were killed by suspected armed robbers at Hill-Top Road near the gas station.
“And you know that a similar incident happened at the same spot last year where some police officers were also killed by an armed gang.
“Some of the slain officers in last year’s attack are yet to be buried; and now another six policemen have lost their lives in the same manner, including two girls just this morning.
“Those two ladies were said to be girlfriends of the slain officers; while some claimed that they were prostitutes who were returning home this morning.”
The Ebonyi State Police Command confirmed the incident, but however, acknowledged that four, instead of five of its operatives were killed.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ukandu Joshua, said this in a statement that Friday, which read thus; “Today 08/03/2024 at about 05:00 am, operatives of the Command who were posted to duty at Hill-Top stop and search/pin-down point along Nwofe Road, at the outskirts of Abakaliki, were attacked by armed hoodlums, who shot sporadically at the operatives.
“The operatives engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel, and in the ensuing gun battle, the hoodlums scampered and abandoned a pump action rifle which was recovered. However, four (4) of the operatives paid the supreme price, while two (2) civilians were caught in the crossfire and killed,” the statement read.
By and large, on July 30, 2024,Gunmen reportedly killed four police operatives in Imo State.
The incident, WITHIN NIGERIA gathered, occurred at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday along Owerri-Onitsha Road in Owerri, the state capital.
A source in the area explained on Monday night that the hoodlums attacked the operatives at their checkpoint in the area.
“Yes. The gunmen attacked the policemen at their checkpoint close to Blossom Hotel and killed four of them,” the source said.
“They also shot at passers-by, but only one lady who used to do POS at the junction died at the spot. She was shot at close range,” he stated.
Another witness, who asked not to be named, said the attackers must have been enforcers of the illegal sit-at-home order, given their style of operation.
“Aside from the police people they killed, they were just shooting at people indiscriminately as if they wanted people to go home,” he said.
He lamented that the area had become a hotbed of gunmen attacks lately.
The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, has confirmed the killing. He said in a statement on Monday that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was behind the attack.
The operatives were ambushed while on a routine patrol at Irete, at the Owerri-Onitsha Expressway, he said.
Mr Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in Imo, Aboki Danjuma, has condemned the killing of the operatives and the civilian, describing it as a “gruesome murder.”
The spokesperson said the police commissioner “has deployed the command’s Tactical Units with the available operational assets and intelligence to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the attack”.
The latest attack occurred exactly one month after unknown gun men killed six persons in Okigwe Local Government Area of the state.
On September 5, 2024 unknown gun men attacked Imo state in two separate attacks. Our reporter gathered that on Tuesday night and in the wee hours of Wednesday, unknown gun men killed two vigilante members guarding Isiala Mbano Local Government Area headquarters, and a policeman after setting ablaze the Obowo Police Station in Imo State.
It was gathered on Wednesday that the gunmen also burnt some vehicles parked at the council premises.
Findings also showed that from an eyewitness who spoke on the condition of anonymity that the “gunmen stormed the secretariat around 8:30 pm on Tuesday and shot sporadically, killing two vigilante members on duty and setting part of the council building on fire.”
Confirming the incident, another eyewitness who spoke newsmen said, “Two security men at the Isiala Mbano council headquarters have been shot dead. The gunmen also set ablaze a larger portion of the council building and several vehicles parked on the premises. Many others escaped with various degrees of injuries.”
“There was palpable fear in Umuelemai, the Isiala Mbano LGA headquarters, because people ran away to neighbouring villages for fear of being killed.”
In the early Wednesday attack, the gunmen razed the Obowo Police Station and killed an unnamed police officer by the NEPA Junction, Umulogho, Obowo Local Government Area.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the gunmen dragged the police officer out of his residence and killed him with a machete, subsequently cutting his throat and wrist.
An eyewitness, who pleaded with our correspondent to remain unnamed, said, “The gunmen were not in a haste to leave as they made sure that no police officer was found living in that compound. They left after about 45 minutes of their unhindered operation, shooting sporadically to scare away residents.”
However, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said the perpetrators of the heinous crimes would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law. He said the command’s tactical team had been deployed to the areas to assure residents of protection of lives and property.
He said, “We are in pursuit of the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. They would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law soon.”
Reacting to the multiple attacks, a human rights advocate, Nnaemeka Onyejiuwa of the Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights, said, “These are attacks too many. The government at all levels and the Imo State Police Command should beef up security towards the protection of lives and property in the state.
“It’s a dangerous trend that non-state actors are causing panic in the state when we have joint security operatives in the state. For Imo residents to witness two attacks at the same time and they were not repelled sends dangerous signals.”
On November 16, 2024 unknown gunmen suspected to be sit-at-home enforcers killed four vigilante operatives in two communities in Anambra State.
According to sources, the incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, as the attackers launched deadly assaults on individuals they identified as violators of the sit-at-home order.
According to source,three of the vigilante operatives were attached to the security detail of the President-General of the Abatete Development Organization (ADO) in Idemili North Local Government Area, High Chief Ezebinobi Ezigbo.
The operatives were reportedly killed on the spot, while Chief Ezigbo allegedly sustained severe bullet wounds.
In another attack at Ukpo, in Dunukofia Local Government Area, the gunmen killed one vigilante operative and set their vehicle ablaze. Other members of the team narrowly escaped with their lives.
Confirming the incidents, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Tochukwu Ikenga, told reporters by phone that while the command had received the reports, details remained sketchy. He added that a full-scale investigation has been launched to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.
Anambra State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Dr. Law Mefor, also confirmed the attack in Abatete, his hometown. Speaking from Abuja, where he is currently on official duty, he condemned the act as heinous and unwarranted.
This is coming barely two months when on September 16, 2024, some yet-to-be-identified assailants on Monday attacked the Umunze Police Station in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Some sources and residents in the area said the assailants stormed the police facility in the early hours of Monday, shooting severally into the air before forcefully gaining entrance into the premises.
According to the sources, during the attack, some police officers were shot dead as the assailants caught them unawares while some parts of the premises were set ablaze using improvised explosive devices.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “The masked hoodlums shot severally into the air as they marched towards the gate of the police premises. It happened early this morning and it was the gunshots that woke the neighbourhood and sent panic into the area.
“They shot and injured some police officers as they forcefully entered the premises. The incident happened within a short space of time, they burnt some parts of the building and were about to cause more mayhem before the attack was repelled in an exchange of gunfire by the officers on duty, after which the hoodlums escaped back into their hideouts.”
The latest attack is coming less than a month after some gunmen attacked the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters and Oba Civic Centre, in Idemili South LGA of the state, during which a police corporal was killed and several others injured. The facility was also set ablaze.
The Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the police have launched a manhunt on the fleeing assailants.
Ikenga said, “The Joint Security Forces comprising of the Police, Army, Navy, Civil defence and other security agencies recovered five unexploded improvised explosives and are on the trail of the arsonists and armed secessionist group members, who in the early hours of today 16/9/2024 attacked the Umunze Police Station.
“The suspected armed proscribe group invaded the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically and fire caught part of the station.
“Unfortunately, two of the police operatives on duty during the gun battle in a bid to resist the assailants from causing more havoc paid the supreme price. Their bodies have been recovered and taken to the morgue.”
He added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Nnaghe Itam, had visited the scene, for an on-the-spot assessment to reinforce and reassess security deployment. “The CP calls on anyone who has any information that will aid the investigation to come forward. He also assures utmost confidentiality to any such information in this regard, please,” Ikenga added.…READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE .…READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE
