Gunmen break loose in Enugu, kill officer, burn down Police station

At least a policeman was killed when gunmen attacked Inyi Divisional Police Headquarters in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State in the wee hours of Sunday.

The station was set ablaze while the attackers reportedly broke into the armoury and carted away guns and ammunition.

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In a video of the attack, two corpses were seen in front of the station.

In a social media post, residents were warned to be security conscious.

“Warning! Achi, Inyi, Ojiriver, Ufuma, Umunze, Ajari, Arondiizogu, those axes are facing security challenges, Ngwo Iri sons & daughters, lets always be security cautious and avoid night movement, above all, always commit our going out & coming in into the blood of Almighty Jesus Christ, the saviour,” the post read.

There has been a rise in insecurity in the South East, with concern by stakeholders that insecurity could affect the 2023 elections.

The police have blamed attacks on the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN), its armed wing, but the group has always distanced itself from the attack.

On Saturday, IPOB stated that it has no intention of disrupting election in Igboland in 2023.

IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful, in a statement on Saturday, said there is no truth in the claim circulating that the group planned to disrupt election in 2023 in Igboland.

“The IPOB leadership has for umpteenth time stated unequivocally that part of our modus operandi in our agitation for freedom has never been, is not and will not be violent agitation.

“This explains our consistent demand for the United Nations (UN) to organize a referendum in the Biafran territory for the Biafran people to determine their destiny. To this effect, IPOB is neither contemplating nor will it encourage or sponsor anyone or group to disrupt the Nigeria shambolic selection process called election.
“IPOB has constantly made it public that we have no interest in and cannot legitimize the aberration they call election in Nigeria. We are a focused, determined and disciplined freedom fighting movement not political thugs and IPOB is devoted to the cause of liberating our people from subjugation and from modern day slavery and neo-colonialism and will not allow ourselves to be distracted from this very objective,” he stated.