Tragedy struck in Imo State as two police officers were brutally murdered in an ambush by unknown gunmen suspected to be affiliated with the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed group associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The incident occurred along old Gariki Road in Okigwe Council Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Henry Okoye, confirmed the grim development, revealing that the gunmen launched an attack on the officers while they were on security patrol. According to the police account, the assailants threw dynamites at the officers, resulting in the death of two officers, while four others narrowly escaped after engaging in a fierce exchange of gunfire with the attackers.
In a statement issued in Owerri, Okoye stated, “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma has condemned the attack and gruesome murder of personnel of Mopol 18, Owerri, by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN).”
He further elaborated, “The officers were ambushed in the early hours of today, 23/03/2024 while on patrol duties along old Gariki Road Okigwe by the disgruntled elements who threw dynamite on the officer’s patrol vehicle and engaged them in a protracted gunfight. In the process, two officers paid the ultimate price while four others survived the attack.
“On receipt of the ugly incident, the Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma alongside Commander Mopol 18 and 64, immediately led operatives of the Command’s Special Tactical Unit to the crime scene for on-the-spot assessment and tasked the operatives to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the attack.
“More so, CP Aboki Danjuma has mandated the Assistant Commissioner of Police in Charge Okigwe, the DPO, and other Tactical units deployed in Okigwe to embark on visibility patrol, intelligence-led raids of criminal hideouts, and place watertight security to forestall any future occurrence.”
The Commissioner solicited the cooperation of the community in providing information that could aid the investigation and apprehension of the culprits, urging anyone with relevant information to contact the nearest police station or utilize the provided hotline numbers 08034773600 and 08103341610.
He also appealed to the residents to go about their lawful business without any form of fear or intimidation and not panic at the sight of the massive deployment of security operatives in Okigwe.
He urged them to support the Police and other security agencies in the onslaught against violent crimes in the State.
