Imo: Police Lose Two Officers in Gun Duel With Suspected IPOB Members

The Police Public Relations Officers in Imo state, Michael Abatham, has said the State Police Command lost two of his officers during an attack by armed men suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN) at Isu Police Division of the state .

According to Abatham, while one sustained minor bullet injury on his head, the officers were killed during a gun duel between them and proscribed group in an effort to repel an attack on a police station in the locality.

The PRO confirmed this in a statement issued to newsmen in Owerri on Monday.

According to him: “On February 20, 2022, at about 2330 hours, armed men suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)/Eastern Security Network (ESN), in their numbers came in two Toyota Sienna buses, a Toyota Camry car and unspecified number of motorcycles, attacked the station from the rear axis because, the station has no perimeter wall, shooting sporadically, threw petrol bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that ignited the station.

“The police operatives of the division immediately responded by engaging the hoodlums in a gun duel. Due to the superior fire-power of the police, the hoodlums were dealt a heavy blow and they scampered for safety, running in different directions with various degrees of gunshot wounds.

“The gallant police operatives did not relent, they gave the hoodlums a hot chase and while escaping, some ran into Golden Suite Hotel and Isu Villa Hotel respectively, the two hotels were immediately cordoned and raided and in the process, a total of 12 motorcycles without identification numbers and two vehicles one Lexus RX350 SUV and one Lexus RX330 SUV, believed to have been used by the hoodlums were seen and recovered. Also 17 male and a female suspects were arrested and are undergoing interrogation.

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The statement added, “The fire and Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) affected some vehicles and part of the building of the division, and unfortunately, two police officers paid the supreme price, while one sustained minor bullet injury on his head.”