A police inspector and six oil workers have been killed in Imo state following an ambush on the convoy transporting them to a facility belonging to Shell Development Company of Nigeria.
The six workers were staff of a servicing company Lee Engineering Company, who were executing a contract with Shell while the police inspector was providing security for the convoy.
The police spokesperson in Imo State, Mike Abattam, who confirmed this to Premium Times said:
“They were ambushed, they came out from the bush and started firing at them. They (the victims) were all in the vehicle.
“The seven people include a police inspector who was providing security for them.”
It is still not known who was responsible for the attacks, however, Imo state has been a flashpoint in recent times with activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB disturbing the polity of the state.
The police spokesman said, “It is (an) investigation that will prove what exactly happened. For now, we cannot just conclude,”
The spokesperson for Shell, Bamidele Odugbesan, said the workers were travelling to the Assa North gas development project site.
Mr Odugbesan said confirmed that Shell has shut down the site and its other facilities around the area as a “precautionary measure”.
“We are greatly saddened by this development and are providing the contractor-company and the police with needed support,” he said.