Unidentified gunmen launched a violent attack on the Obowo Police Division in the Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State early Wednesday, destroying several facilities and leaving the community in shock.
This follows the killing of a police officer by suspected assailants at NEPA bus stop in the same Obowo LGA on Tuesday night.
Eyewitnesses recounted the harrowing incidents to Vanguard in Owerri. One resident, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for security reasons, described how the attackers struck the police officer’s residence, taking their time to identify and target the officer before brutally killing him.
“They came around 8 pm on Tuesday and spent more than forty-five minutes in that house,” the eyewitness revealed.
“They were methodical, checking to see who was a student and who was a police officer.
Once they identified the officer, they slaughtered him. It’s shocking because this happened in a place with a military presence and three police formations, yet no one came to his rescue.”
The witness expressed dismay at the delayed response of security forces, noting that it took the military one hour and thirty minutes to arrive at the scene, while the police were conspicuously absent.
“This is sad,” he added, highlighting the proximity of the area’s police divisions, including the Ishinweke and Obowo divisions.
The gunmen reportedly returned in the early hours of Wednesday to the Obowo Police Division, where they set the station ablaze, further compounding the community’s fear and unease.
In a related development, hoodlums also attacked the Isiala Mbano Local Government Secretariat, setting vehicles and buildings ablaze.
According to another eyewitness from Isiala Mbano, the attack led to a gun battle between the hoodlums and security operatives, resulting in the deaths of two members of the vigilante group and leaving many others injured.
Reacting to the series of attacks, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, confirmed the incidents and assured the public that tactical teams have been deployed to apprehend the perpetrators.
“The Command has deployed tactical teams to apprehend those responsible for this crime,” Okoye stated.
