IMO: Scores Killed As Criminals Fleeing Police Run Into Soldiers

The Imo State police command said it has repelled an attack on its Njaba division on Tuesday morning.

The attackers, according to the command’s spokesman, Michael Abattam, stormed the station in their numbers, throwing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and shooting sporadically to gain entrance to the station.

Abattam, however, said the officers on the ground and the commands tactical team repelled the attack.

“Sequel to the modified and robust strategies emplaced by the command under the watch of the indefatigable Commissioner of police, Imo State Command, CP Rabiu Hussaini psc, to checkmate all criminals’ activities within the state especially attacks on a police station.

“The strategies yielded results, when on 01/ 03 / 2022 at about 0140 hours, gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/ Eastern Security Network came in their numbers threw Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and shooting sporadically, attempting to gain entrance into the station but were repelled by the ever gallant Divisional Police Officer and his men supported by some of the Command’s Tactical Teams.”

He said fleeing criminals who could not withstand the police ran away in their Sienna bus but were accosted by personnel of the army on patrol at the Njaba bridge.

Abattam said a renewed gun duel ensued between the criminals, the army and the police which forced the criminals to flee the scene into the bushes whilst sustaining various degrees of injuries.

“The police operatives of the division who positioned themselves strategically and professionally, engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel and in the process they were suppressed, having suffered a huge defeat, with a number of them sustaining various degrees of bullet wounds, they retreated, running towards Njaba bridge in a Sienna vehicle and were given a hot chase by the police operatives.

“Unfortunately for them, the hoodlums ran into a detachment of the Army at Njaba Bridge, who engaged them in another gun battle. During the exchange of gun fire, the hoodlums suffered huge casualty which made them scamper for safety [by] running into the bush abandoning their operational vehicle.

“Consequently, an aggressive combing of the bush/manhunt for the hoodlums is ongoing to recover more arms and to arrest the fleeing suspects since they cannot move far because of the blood stains trails seen in the vehicle and on the ground in the bushes.

“However, at the scene, one pump action gun, abandoned by one of the injured hoodlums was recovered and the Sienna vehicle used and abandoned was towed to the station for further investigation.

“Meanwhile, in the course of the attack, due to the gallantry/ professionalism exhibited by the police operatives, no life was lost, no arms/ammunition was carted away and the building of the police station remained intact apart from the minor damage to the perimeter wall fence,” he said.