By Emmanuel Ndukuba
Awka, June 15, 2024 – Gunmen have attacked the Ogbaru Local Government Area Secretariat in Anambra state.
It was gathered that the hoodlums, who invaded the LGA secretariat in the early hours of Saturday, set no fewer than four patrol vehicles at the premises ablaze.
Although, there were no casualties recorded at the moment, sources who witnessed the incident in the area said the hoodlums shot indiscriminately into the air thereby sending panic to residents around the area.
The sources said the attack, however, has sparked renewed concerns about security in Ogbaru, with the locals saying that some days ago, two soldiers conveying oil workers to a location in the community were ambushed and killed.
The source said, “The activities of these hoodlums have sent panic in the area, just few days ago, Army truck with five officers conveying production workers from Ogwu-Ikpere to Umunzarabia location, were ambushed at the Amaja axis(Ogwu-Ikpere) by yet-to-be-identified gunmen. Two officers were shot dead, while one was injured.”
SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the state police spokesman, who confirmed the incident, said the attack resulted in the destruction of four patrol vehicles belonging to the state vigilantes.
Ikenga said, “The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Police Command, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has condemned the morning attack at the Ogbaru Local Government Area Headquarters Secretariat by armed arsonists.
“The attack, which resulted in the destruction of four patrol vehicles belonging to the vigilantes, has been described as an act of cowardice. Notably, there were no casualties. Preliminary information indicated that the assailants, arriving in large numbers on motorcycles and a vehicle, began 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. Unfortunately, four operational vehicles of the security operatives were engulfed in flames and severely damaged.”
Ikenga added that in response to the incident, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations led a joint security force comprising the 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. The Commissioner of Police commends the security operatives for their bravery and assures the public of continued and strengthened collaboration in the fight against criminal elements in the State.
“Further developments will be communicated as they arise,” he added.
