May 7, 2021

Nine gunmen have been killed and four policemen injured in a botched attack on a police station in Imo State.

This is according to the new Commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, who disclosed this during a press conference on Friday in Owerri, the state capital.

He said the attack on the Divisional Police and Area Command Headquarters on Thursday night in Orlu Local Government Area of the state were 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,” the police boss said.

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

The police commissioner explained 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 also causing disorder in the area.

According to the police boss, 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 were however blaming men of the outlawed 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.