One of the razed buildings at the headquarters
Three vigilante operatives were killed on Thursday when gunmen bombed the headquarters of Anambra State’s Ihiala Local Government Area in south-east Nigeria.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m., according to Premium Times.
According to reports, the gunmen threw Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) into the council headquarters, destroying property and killing security officials.
According to community sources, the IEDs destroyed several buildings in the secretariat.
“They (gunmen) also beheaded one of the vigilante people after killing them,” a source, who asked not to be named, said.
Tochukwu Ikenga, the Anambra State police spokesperson, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said officers responded to a distress call at 2:55 a.m.
He stated that the gunmen had already killed the three vigilante operatives and beheaded one of them before the operatives arrived.
The gunmen used IEDs and petrol bombs to set fire to five buildings in the secretariat, he said.
According to community sources, the buildings damaged by the fire include the administrative block of the council headquarters, a primary healthcare office, and an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Others include a National Youth Service Corps office, an education office, and a National Civil Defense office.
“One of the attackers was neutralized,” the police spokesperson said, adding that the presence of the operatives prevented the hoodlums from causing further damage.
When confronted by the operatives, some of the gunmen fled the scene with bullet wounds, according to Mr Ikenga.
“The bodies of the victims were recovered and joint operations are still ongoing,” he said.
According to the police, among the items recovered from the gunmen during the operation were two locally made IED launchers, seven undetonated IEDs, 40 pieces of live cartridges, 15 live 7.62 MM AK-47 ammunition, knives, and charms