USAID on Anambra attack: Victims were heroes who gave their lives for Nigeria

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has condemned the attack on the US consulate convoy in Anambra.

On Tuesday, some gunmen attacked a convoy conveying staff of the US consulate, officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and some civilians along Atani-Osamela road in Ogbaru LGA of the state.

Five officials of the US consulate and four armed police officers were the casualties in the attack.

On Thursday, Echeng Echeng, Anambra police commissioner, announced the arrest of two suspects during a briefing at the state police headquarters.

The police chief alleged that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN) were behind the attack.

Samantha Power, the USAID administrator, described the attack as horrific in a statement.

She said the attack happened while the convoy was travelling to a USAID-funded project in Anambra that is providing humanitarian assistance to those who remain displaced as a result of last year’s historic flooding.

“My thoughts are with those mourning their loved ones or anxiously awaiting word of their family members and friends. I also want to extend my sympathies to the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria as they grieve their colleagues and aid in the search for those still unaccounted for,” Power said.

“I join Secretary of State Blinken in condemning this horrific attack, committed against those seeking to build a better future for the people of Nigeria.”

Power said the victims were killed while building a better future for Nigeria and that the best way to honour their memories would be to bring the killers to justice.

“The individuals who were killed paid a great service to both our country and their own, and they should be remembered as heroes who dedicated their lives to building a better future for the people of Nigeria,” she said.

“I hope that we can honour their memory — both by holding those responsible for this atrocious act accountable, and by continuing to foster greater peace, prosperity, and stability in Nigeria and beyond.”