Days after the attack on the convoy of the United States mission in Nigeria, suspected members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an affiliate of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group, attacked and killed two policemen attached to the Counter-Terrorism Unit in Imo State. The incident occurred on Saturday at Ngor Okpala Junction in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state.
According to reports, the policemen were conducting a routine stop and search operation when the gunmen attacked and killed them on the spot. Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, stated that the policemen engaged the attackers in a shootout; however, the hoodlums fled into the nearby bushes before being captured.
Henry Okoye added that the operational vehicle used by the attackers was recovered, abandoned and full of blood, indicating that they had sustained serious gunshot wounds. The police have deployed an operation in Ngor Okpala to apprehend the attackers and are urging medical facilities to report anyone who arrives with serious injuries.
The recent spate of attacks on security operatives come amid rising tension in the Southeast region of the country and may be connected to the outlawed IPOB group’s call for the region’s secession. The Nigerian government has designated the group as a terrorist organisation and condemned attacks on security operatives in the region.
