Gunmen attacked the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters and Oba Civic Center in Anambra State, in the early hours of Tuesday, leading to the death of one police corporal.
The attackers, believed to be members of an armed secessionist group, started shooting randomly in an attempt to gain entrance to the police station.
According to a statement from the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga of the Anambra State Police Command, the gunmen also threw petrol bombs at the security facility, causing some of the offices, including the Oba Civic Center, to catch fire.
“The Police-led Joint Security Force comprising of the Army, Navy, Civil Defence, and other security agencies are currently in a joint onslaught operation within Oba and its environments,” Ikenga said. “Following an attack in the early hours of today, 3/9/2024, on Oba Police Divisional Headquarters and Oba Civic Center, the suspected armed secessionist group started shooting sporadically in an attempt to gain entrance to the Police Station and threw petrol bombs at the security facility, which made some of the offices catch fire including the Oba Civic Center.”
Sadly, one police corporal who was fatally wounded during the attack died, but the fire was eventually put out with the help of other police officers on duty and the joint security response team.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, condemned the attack, describing it as an assault on the soul of the nation. “The invasion of security facilities and hostility towards security agents is an attack on the soul of a nation, and we vow to bring those behind the unholy act to book,” CP Itam stated.
The security agencies are currently conducting a joint operation in the area to restore peace and prevent further attacks.
