Police station attack: Nine gunmen killed, four policemen injured

Etim Effiong

The police in Imo State, in a gun battle with hoodlums trying to burn down a police station, killed nine gunmen, but four policemen were injured during the exchange of gunfire.

The Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, said this during a press conference on Friday in Owerri, the state capital.

According to him, the attack on the Divisional Police and Area Command Headquarters on Thursday night in Orlu Local Government Area of the state, was repelled by Special Forces.

“After a gun duel, nine of the insurgents lost their lives while others fled with bullet wounds abandoning their operational vehicles in the process.

“However, four of our operatives sustained various degrees of injuries and are presently responding to treatment,” he said.

The police commissioner added that a joint operation consisting of IGP Response Team, Special Forces and other Tactical Teams of the Imo State Police Command, operatives of the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) engaged the hoodlums in a shootout.

He explained that the criminal elements were seen in a viral video around Orlu Metropolis stealing and forcefully collecting items from people and causing disorder in the area.

He said the gunmen were believed to have attacked the headquarters of the Nigeria Police and Correctional Service in Owerri on April 5.

Although CP Yaro didn’t link any group to the attack, some people blamed the men of the secessionist group, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).

Items recovered from the miscreants include four AK-47 rifles, one pump action, two Toyota Sienna cars, one Toyota Camry car, one Toyota Hilux van, one SUV Highlander, one SUV Land Rover, one Nissan Pickup van and assorted charms.