Gunmen suspected to be IPOB/ESN members reportedly stormed the Isu divisional police headquarters in Imo State, killing two officers.
According to Vanguard News, police officers on duty on Monday, 21st February, 2022 engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun battle while they launched IEDs into the station.
Mike Abattam, the state police public relations officer, acknowledged the attack and deaths of the two policeman in a statement, adding that several suspects had been captured in relation to the unfortunate incident.
“Armed men, presumed to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network, arrived in two Toyota Sienna buses, a Toyota Camry sedan, and an undefined number of motorcycles,” according to the statement.
“However, because the station lacked a perimeter wall, they attacked it from behind, shooting sporadically.”
They also set fire to the station using petrol bombs and other explosive devices.
“The division’s police officers reacted quickly by confronting the suspected IPOB/ESN members in a gunfight.
“The hoodlums were hit hard as a result of the police’s superior weaponry, and they scurried for safety, running in separate directions with varying degrees of bullet wounds.
“The brave police officers did not give up; they gave the suspected IPOB/ESN members a furious chase, and some of them ran into the Golden Suite Hotel and the Isu Villa Hotel while fleeing.”
The two hotels were promptly sealed off and raided, leading to the recovery of a total of 12 motorcycles with no identification numbers and two vehicles, one Lexus RX 350 SUV and one Lexus RX 330 SUV, suspected of being utilized by the hoodlums.
In addition, 17 male and one female suspects were apprehended and are being questioned.
“However, the fire and IED damaged some cars and a portion of the division’s building, and two police officers paid the ultimate price, while one was shot in the head with a small bullet.”
