Gunmen kill policeman, set building ablaze in Anambra

Some yet-to-be-identified identified gunmen have attacked a facility of operatives of the anti-cult squad in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the place at about 11 pm on Thursday, killing a police officer and burnt down a building with petrol.

The reason for the attack has not been ascertained, but sources in the area said the hoodlums came in large numbers, using three vehicles, which included a Toyota Highlander, a Toyota Sienna and a Toyota Corolla.

According to the sources, the attackers immediately opened fire on the security operatives which led to the exchange of gunfire.

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A similar incident had occurred a previous night in the area when members of the state vigilante service bumped into suspected cultists, where one of the vigilante operatives was reportedly killed in a shootout.

Confirming the incident in a statement, the state Police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said a huge number of security operatives was deployed in the area immediately after the command got the information about the attack.

Ikenga said, “Our men were moved there immediately, and they were able to combat the gunmen, and also recovered some improvised explosive devices, which have not been used.

“Our men stood their ground and were able to ward off the attackers. The men came in their numbers, using three vehicles. One Toyota Highlander, one Toyota Sienna and a Corolla car.

“Because of the deployment, the attackers were not able to do harm to the level that they expected. They had to flee.

“Meanwhile, we lost one police operative in the attack. He was hit by a bullet from the attackers. Also, because of the petrol bomb used by the attackers, one of the buildings in the formation was affected by the fire.

“As I speak to you, there is a massive police operation going on in the area now, and we are calling on members of the public to trust us with information.

“People should come forth with information that can help us apprehend these culprits, and we promise that every information given to us will be treated with a high level of confidentiality.”