The Imo State Police Command has confirmed the killing of seven persons by gunmen suspected to be members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in the Orogwe area of the state.
The police spokesperson, CSP Mike Abattam, in a statement on Wednesday said the gunmen stormed the neighbourhood on Monday night and opened fire on the residents of a building in the community.
The statement reads, “On 01/8/2022 at about 11 pm, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ogbaku Divisional Police Headquarters, Owerri, got a distress call that armed bandits suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its arm affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN), came in a black Lexus Jeep and three motorcycles carrying two persons each, shooting sporadically at the occupants in a building at Orogwe, Owerri West LGA, Imo State.”
According to Abattam, the building belongs to one Sir Chima Ogbuehi who resides in Lagos.
The police spokesperson said that while seven of the occupants were killed, others were critically injured.
He said, “The Divisional Police Officer, swiftly mobilised his men with the support of a detachment of the command’s tactical teams to the scene, but on arrival, the hoodlums had escaped almost immediately, snatching a blue coloured Toyota Sienna SUV vehicle and the Command’s tactical team speedily went on their trail while the DPO and his men rushed the injured ones to Federal Medical Centre, Owerri and evacuated the corpses to the mortuary.
“Regrettably, a total of seven persons lost their lives in the attack while six others sustained injuries and were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri, Imo State.”
Abattam said the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Ahmed Barde, had ordered for a discreet investigation into the incident, promising that the command would go all out in ensuring that the perpetrators were arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“He (the CP) then appealed for calm and enjoined the good people of the state to assist the police and other security agencies by giving them credible information and report any clandestine activities observed in their communities to the nearest police station,” the statement added.
