Oba, Anambra State — The Nigerian Police, in collaboration with a Joint Security Force, has launched a manhunt operation in the Oba area of Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, following a brazen attack by gunmen on the Oba Police Divisional Headquarters and the Oba Civic Center early Tuesday morning.
The assault, which the Anambra State Police Command has attributed to an armed secessionist group, involved the use of petrol bombs and sporadic gunfire, resulting in the tragic death of a police corporal.
According to SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, the assailants stormed the police station in an attempt to breach the facility, launching petrol bombs that set several offices ablaze. The attackers also targeted the nearby Oba Civic Center, causing significant damage.
“The suspected armed secessionist group began shooting sporadically in an attempt to gain entrance to the Police Station and threw petrol bombs at the security facility, which led to some of the offices catching fire, including the Oba Civic Center,” Ikenga told SaharaReporters.
Tragically, one police corporal succumbed to his injuries during the attack. However, the fire was quickly contained, thanks to the swift response from police officers on duty and the Joint Security Force, who intervened to prevent further damage.
In the wake of the attack, Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, condemned the violence, describing the assault on security facilities as a direct attack on the nation’s stability. He vowed to ensure that those responsible for the “unholy act” are apprehended and brought to justice.
“The invasion of security facilities and hostility towards security agents is an attack on the soul of a nation,” CP Itam said in a statement. “We will leave no stone unturned in bringing those behind this heinous act to book.”
The joint operation in Oba and its surrounding areas is ongoing, as the security forces intensify efforts to track down the gunmen responsible for the deadly assault.
