Tragedy hit the Okigwe area of Imo State on Sunday after unknown attackers opened fire on police officers, leading to the deaths of two men on patrol duty.
According to reports, the officers were members of Mopol 18 Owerri and were carrying out routine patrol around the old Gariki axis of Okigwe when they came under heavy gunfire from the assailants.
Eyewitnesses said the attack happened quickly, leaving two policemen dead, while others who were part of the patrol team were injured but managed to flee.
In a statement confirming the attack, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, ASP Henry Okoye, described the event as tragic.
“The incident that happened in Okigwe is a very unfortunate one,” Okoye stated. “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the attack and gruesome murder of two of our personnel. These officers, attached to Mopol 18 Owerri, were deployed on routine patrol duty.”
ASP Okoye also noted that the Commissioner, alongside senior police officials including the Commander of Mopol 18, had already visited the crime scene for immediate assessment.
“We have deployed tactical teams and charged them to go all out, in synergy with the military, to hunt down the hoodlums responsible for this senseless act of violence,” he added.
The incident has raised fresh alarm over the state of insecurity in parts of Imo State. Locals say the continuous attacks on security personnel have left many communities living in fear. Some residents are urging the government to step up its efforts in ensuring protection for both citizens and security operatives.
“It’s scary,” one resident told our correspondent. “It seems like the police themselves are no longer safe. If they can be killed just like that, what about ordinary people like us?”
