An attack by gunmen on a police station in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State has left two police officers and three assailants killed.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Michael Abattam, confirmed the incident which occurred on Friday in a statement issued to newsmen.
Abattam identified the assailants, who swooped on the station around 2:45 am, as “armed bandits suspected to be members of the proscribed IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra)/ESN (Easter Security Network) terror group”.
According to him, the gunmen “came in their numbers to attack Izombe Police Station but could not gain access to the station due to the swift response of the ever-alert Imo Command’s tactical teams and personnel of Operation Restore Peace of the Command who intercepted and repelled the bandits”.
After a gun battle, the police were said to have repel the attackers.
“They fled into the bush and in the process three of the bandits were neutralised … while others escaped into the bush with bullet wounds,” Abattam said.
“Unfortunately, the command lost two of its gallant officers in the attack. Their arms – one pump action gun with two rounds of live cartridges, and one locally made double barrel pistol with two expended cartridges, were recovered from them to the station,” The News Guru quoted the police statement.
The tactical teams, according to Abattam, are already in pursuit of the fleeing gunmen and combing the bush with a view to bringing them to justice.
The police image maker called on the people of Imo, especially the residents of Izombe community where the station is located, to assist the police with credible information that would lead to the arrest of the assailants.
He further urged residents and hospitals to notify the police immediately they see anyone with bullet wounds.