THE Imo State Police Command has confirmed the death of two policemen and three gunmen who attacked a police station in Imo state.
According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Command Michael Abattam, the gunmen had attacked in the early hours of Saturday and were engaged in a gun battle with police officers who made efforts to repel the attack.
“The bandits, who on sighting the police engaged them in a gun duel were subdued, due to the superior firepower of the police. They fled into the bush and in the process three of the bandits were neutralized,” he said.
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Abattam also noted that the police were in pursuit of the retreating gunmen and urged residents to assist with relevant information on their whereabouts.
“Unfortunately, the Command lost two of its gallant officers in the attack. Meanwhile, the tactical teams are presently in pursuit of the fleeing bandits and possible recovery of their arms,” he said.
Barely a week ago, The ICIR reported that an inspector had died during an attack on a police station in the Orlu Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
Three of the attackers had also been killed in a gun duel during the attack.
Police stations have become a major target for gunmen within the South-East part of Nigeria in recent times.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via vopara@icirnigeria.org or @ije_le on Twitter.