Imo Police Command repels attack by suspected terrorists as insecurity rages in state

The Imo Police Command on Monday revealed that its officials repelled attacks by suspected terrorists at the Obowo Divisional Police headquarters.

This was confirmed by the Imo State Police Spokesman, CSP Michael Abattam, who stated in Owerri that the assailants approached the station from an ungoverned forest at the rear.

He added that they threw petrol bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices that fell on the transit camp behind the station and on a parked vehicle.

“Police operatives and some of the Command’s Technical Teams engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel preventing them from gaining entrance to the station.

“In the process, they forced the hoodlums into retreating into the forest with various degrees of bullet wounds.

“The police operatives gave them a hot chase and while combing the bush, three undetonated explosives, four expended AK47 bullets, and five live cartridges were recovered.

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“Also recovered were 33 expended cartridges, two masks, one pump action gun, and a motorised sawing machine,’’ Abattam stated.

He also noted that a police operative who sustained a minor gunshot injury had been treated with no lives lost.

The police spokesman added that Acting Commissioner of Police, DCP Maman Giwa, who visited the scene, commended the officers and men for repelling the attack.

Giwa appealed to Imo residents to continue to give the police timely and credible information about criminals and their activities and to report any person seen treating bullet wounds within the community to the nearest police station.

Monday’s attack brought the number of police divisional headquarters attacked in Imo in March to four.

Gunmen had also attacked Orsu, Oru East, and Umuguma police divisional headquarters at various points in the month.

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