FOUR people were killed on Thursday night in a gun battle that ensued during an attack by gunmen on a Police Station in Imo State.
The Commissioner of Police Abutu Yaro disclosed this in a statement released on Friday.
The attack, which occurred at the Divisional Police Headquarters in the Orlu Local Government Area (LGA), claimed the lives of a police inspector and three of the attackers.
The gunmen attacked the station with explosives, which resulted in a fire outbreak, affecting parts of the building and several vehicles parked within the premises.
Police officials, however, subdued the gunmen and recovered their weapons, killing three of them and leaving several others injured.
“Due to the superior firepower of the police, the bandits were subdued, and three of the bandits were neutralized, and their guns, one pump action gun and two locally-made double barrel pistols were recovered while others escaped into the bush with bullet wounds.
Yaro urged residents of the state to assist the police with credible information which would aid in the arrest of the retreating gunmen.
“Report to the nearest police station any person seen with or treating bullet wounds. Also, hospitals are advised to ensure that they report any person who comes to them for treatment of bullet wounds,’’ he said.
In the past few months, police stations have recently come under attack by gunmen in the South-Eastern region of Nigeria.
The ICIR reported that between October 2020 and April 2021, at least 21 police stations had been attacked by gunmen in the region, while fifteen officers lost their lives.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.