The death toll in last Sunday’s attack on the convoy of the Chief of Staff to the Anambra State Governor, Dr Ben Nwankwo, at Ndiukwuenu community in Orumba North Local Council along the Ufuma-Amansea Road, has risen to four.

The driver of the Chief of Staff reportedly escaped the attack after manoeuvring through gunfire and driving the convoy to safety.

However, two police officers attached to the Office of the Chief of Staff were killed during the attack.

It was later confirmed that two civilians in the entourage also lost their lives, bringing the total number of casualties to four.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Government expressed shock over the high-profile attack, describing it as a setback after more than one year of relative peace following intensified operations against criminal elements in the state.

The State Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, in a statement, condemned the attack and described it as horrific.

The statement read: “This was more than an attack on one person. It was an attack on the peace, security and democratic order of our state, as well as the government and people of Anambra.

“This isolated incident after more than one year of peace and security in the state will not affect our determination to remove all forms of crime from Anambra.”

Mefor conveyed the government’s condolences to the families of those who lost their lives, stating that the victims deserved justice.

He added that the police and other security agencies were working to identify and apprehend those responsible for the attack.

The Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, led a joint security team comprising the police, army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and members of the Anambra State Homeland Security Squad, also known as Udogachi, to the scene of the attack.

The security team reportedly secured major flashpoints and combed surrounding bushes in search of the attackers’ hideouts.

A suspect wearing police camouflage was arrested during the operation.

Preliminary investigations indicated that a criminal camp might have existed around the community after gunmen displaced from camps in Ufuma and other parts of Orumba South Local Council allegedly relocated to the area.

Orutugu reprimanded the President-General, Vice President-General and councillor representing Ndiukwuenu Ward for allegedly failing to alert security agencies about the suspected presence of the camp within the community.

He subsequently drafted the three community leaders into the joint security task force involved in the ongoing manhunt for the attackers.

The police commissioner urged them to work closely with the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of those behind the killings.

Providing insight into the attackers’ operations, the Agunechemba Security Squad, through its Publicity Secretary, Nweke Nwehe, alleged that the gunmen came from Awka and carried out the attack in a guerrilla-style operation before fleeing in a white jeep.

“We have kept close watch on these criminals, and we can state categorically that they are not residents of the area. They come from Awka, carry out their operations in a guerrilla-style manner and retreat back to the capital city,” Nwehe said.

He added that intensified security operations in Awka had forced criminal elements to target neighbouring communities.

Nwehe stated that significant progress had been made in tracking the perpetrators through intelligence gathered from residents and members of the public.

“We are closing in on the perpetrators,” he added.