The Imo state police command has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being behind the attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in the state.
Okay.ng recalls that the gunmen attacked the INEC office in Owerri, the capital of Imo state, on Monday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Michael Abattam, police spokesperson in the state, said the attackers arrived at the INEC office in the early hours of the morning and began shooting and throwing improvised explosives into the premises.
The police on guard at the INEC office engaged the attackers in a gunfight and were able to kill three of them, while two officers died in the process.
Abattam said that the attackers fled the scene towards Onitsha Road, but were pursued by the police. Another gunfight ensued at Ogbaku along Onitsha Road, where three more attackers were killed and two others were arrested with various degrees of bullet injuries. The remaining attackers fled into nearby communities.
The police spokesperson said that a number of items were recovered from the attackers, including three AK-47 rifles, four pump action guns, three improvised explosive devices, and four locally made bombs.
He added that the items recovered from the scene are consistent with those used by the IPOB and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Abattam said that the officers who sustained injuries in the attack are receiving treatment in the hospital and are in “stable condition”.
He added that efforts are being made to apprehend the fleeing suspects, who are believed to have sustained injuries during the gunfight.
