Police: Gunmen used tipper to break gate, detonated IEDs in attack on Imo station

The Imo police command says gunmen used a tipper to break the gate of a station in the state, during an attack on a division in Oguta LGA.

TheCable had reported how four officers were killed when the assailants attacked the divisional police station in Agwa, Oguta LGA of the state on Friday night. 

In a statement on Saturday, Michael Abattam, Imo police spokesperson, said the attackers are suspected to be members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), the security outfit of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). 

According to the police spokesman, the gunmen used a tipper to break the gate of the police station, after which they denoted improved explosive devices (IEDs) and petrol bombs.

“On August 5, at about 2300 hours, hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN), attacked Agwa Police Station in their numbers,” the statement reads.

“The hoodlums who came in two vehicles and a tipper, shooting sporadically, used a tipper vehicle in forcing the gate open to gain entrance into the station, throwing Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) and petrol bombs.

“The police operatives of the division, joined by the Command’s Tactical Teams, gave the hoodlums a stiff resistance, engaging them in a gun duel. The hoodlums, who were fatally hit with a lot of casualties on their side, retreated, escaping in their vehicles.

“The fire, which affected a parked private car and some motorcycles, was later put off, preventing it from causing more damage. Fortunately, the building was not affected.

“In the attack, two suspects in custody escaped, four police officers gallantly paid the supreme price, while one rifle is yet to be recovered.

“Meanwhile, the area has been fortified with enough police operatives.”

Abattam added that Mohammed Barde, the Imo commissioner of police, who visited the area on a “confidence-building patrol and on the spot assessment of the incident” assured residents and the traditional ruler that the command “will leave no stone unturned until the perpetrators of this dastardly act are arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law”.