The White House has reacted to the attack on some staff of the US Consulate in Nigeria.
Daily Trust had reported how the convoy of the officials came under attack in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday afternoon.
Sources told this newspaper that at least four persons were killed in the incident.
“At least four persons were killed in the attack while others sustained injuries. Troops have taken over the community,” a security source told Daily Trust.
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Corroborating the tragic incident at a press briefing, John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, said no American citizen was killed.
“What I can tell you is that no U.S. citizens were involved, but we are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of where we are right now,” he said.
The US mission Nigeria had earlier told Daily Trust that its personnel were collaborating with Nigerian security operatives to probe the incident.
“We confirm there was an incident on May 16 in Anambra state. U.S. Mission Nigeria personnel are working with Nigerian security services to investigate. The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organizing trips to the field. We have no further comment at this time,” a US Mission Nigeria spokesperson said.
The spokesperson for the Anambra Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, shed more light on the attack, narrating how the assailants “made away with two police operatives and a driver of the second vehicle in the convoy.”
He also described how the attackers burnt corpses of those they killed, adding that security forces “have embarked on a rescue and recovery operation in the area.”
Anambra is one of the South Eastern States with high level of violence.
Security operatives have blamed attacks on the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and Eastern Security Network (ESN), its armed wing, but the group has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Many lives have been lost in the campaign of violence launched by deadly groups operating under the guise of “unknown gunmen”.
