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Unidentified gunmen, yesterday, invaded a police checkpoint in Akabo, Ikeduru Local Council of Imo State, killing two operatives and a civilian.
The Guardian learnt that remains of the victims have been deposited in a morgue.
Confirming the development, the police spokesperson in the state, Henry Okoye, said the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, had visited the scene alongside top officers.
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Okoye said: “The Commissioner has deployed the command’s Special Tactical Squad and equipped them with available operational resources and intelligence to go all out, in synergy with other security agencies, and clamp down on the hoodlums responsible for the unprovoked and unwarranted attack and killing of the police operatives.
“The tragic incident was perpetrated in the early hours of June 11, by hoodlums suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN), who attacked the operatives in their numbers, firing sporadically.
“The operatives fought gallantly but unfortunately, two personnel and a civilian were fatally hit.”
Okoye added: “In the wake of the incident, the Commissioner, alongside the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), led operatives to the scene of the crime for an on-the-spot assessment. Intense operation is ongoing in the area for possible apprehension and prosecution of the fleeing hoodlums responsible for the senseless act of violence.
“The Commissioner has also set up a high-powered team and tasked it with carrying out a comprehensive investigation to unravel the perpetrators. Meanwhile, the lifeless bodies of the affected officers and the civilian have been recovered and deposited in a mortuary.”
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