Gunmen have launched an attack on the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The assailants, who came in significant numbers, struck the police facility early Tuesday morning, hurling explosives at the building. In addition to the police station, the attackers also targeted the Oba Civic Centre.
Local sources reported that a police corporal was killed in the assault, while several others sustained various injuries. The motives behind the attack remain unclear, but it is suspected to be the work of a secessionist group.
State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement. He described how the attackers fired indiscriminately and threw petrol bombs, resulting in fires at some police offices and the Civic Centre.
Ikenga said, “A joint security force, including the Army, Navy, Civil Defence, and other agencies, is currently conducting a comprehensive operation in Oba and its surrounding areas following the attack on the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters and Oba Civic Centre this morning, September 3, 2024.”
“The assailants, believed to be armed secessionists, fired shots and used petrol bombs in their attempt to breach the police station. This led to fires at several offices and the Oba Civic Centre. Tragically, a police corporal succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack. The fires were eventually extinguished by on-duty officers and the responding security teams.”
The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, condemned the attack, characterizing the assault on security facilities and personnel as an attack on the nation’s integrity. He pledged to ensure that those responsible for the violence are held accountable.