THE Federal Government has condemned the Tuesday, May 16 attack on officials of the United States (US) Embassy in Anambra State.
Four officials of the embassy were killed in the attack, which occured in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement released on Wednesday, May 17, by spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Francisca Omayuli, the Federal Government described the incident as most regrettable.
“The Federal Government received with dismay the sad news of the attack on the convoy of the staffers of the U.S. Consulate on May 16, 2023, in Ogbaru Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra State by yet-to-be-identified gunmen.
“The unfortunate incident, which led to the death of two policemen and two staff of the consulate, is condemnable and most regrettable.”
The statement said investigations have commenced towards apprehending those responsible for the attack.
The government also commiserated with the families of those killed in the attack.
“The Federal Government remains undaunted by this sad development and reiterates its commitment to the continued fight against all forms of crime and criminality in the country,” the statement added.
The attack occurred late on Tuesday night along the Amiyi/Eke Ochuche axis of Ogbaru LGA, when the yet to be identified gunmen targeted the US diplomatic delegation on a humanitarian mission.
Spokesperson for US National Security Council (NSC), John Kirby, while confirming the incident to reporters attack ij the White House, disclosed that the casualties recorded during the attack did not include American citizens.
“I just got informed about that here before coming here to talk to you. It does look like US convoy vehicle was attacked. What I can tell you is that no US citizens were involved, and therefore, there was no US citizen hurt. But we are aware of some casualties, perhaps even some killed,” Kirby said.
South-Eastern Nigeria has been experiencing a rising spate of violence in recent times.
According to a report by The ICIR, at least 287 people died within the region between January and May 2022 due to insecurity.
Most of the violence in the region have been blamed on the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), particularly it’s military wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.