Kogi: Gunmen kill inspector in attack on police area command

0
728
File copy

Gunmen have again bombed Police Area Command office at Eika-Ohizenyi in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State killing one inspector on duty during the early hours of Friday.

The slain officer was identified simply as Mr Jibril popularly known as Yellow.

The latest attack was the second in less than one month as the Adavi police station had earlier come under attack in early June when three police officers were killed.

It was reliably gathered that the gunmen numbering seven allegedly stormed the station on the outskirts of the community at about 12 midnight on Friday and open gunfire on the station and then brought the building with a bomb.

A resident of the area, Mallam Momoh Abubakar, who also spoke on the situation with our correspondent, said that the attackers invaded the station at 12:15 a.m.

According to him, the first bomb they threw into the station made a heavy sound that woke many residents who were sleeping while the second bomb brought down part of the station’s building.

He added that the attackers had a field day as they operated for more than two hours without any interference either from security agents or the people of the community.

He also revealed that the only police officer on duty was killed in the process of the attack while the only operational vehicle in the police station was also bombed.

According to him, bullets perforated windows of the Eika community central mosque and a Catholic church near the police station during the attack.

“I am using this medium to appeal to security agents to be proactive and respond quickly to this type of incident because the gunmen spent more than two hours operating freely without any interference.

 “The first attack of the station occurred on Friday and this second one which happened after five years also took place on Friday and to our surprise, nobody has been arrested in connection to the attack.

“As I am talking to you now there is serious fear and apprehension in Eika community as people remained indoors for fear of being attacked by gunmen. We are appealing to the government to beep its searchlight in this area because the attack is becoming unbearable” he said

Meanwhile, the corpse of the slain policeman has been taken to Obangede General hospital’s mortuary.

However, operatives from the state’s command on Friday visited the scene of the attack for first-hand information.

The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, William Ovye Aya, in a press statement issued on Friday, said following the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Edward Egbuka, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

He noted that the commissioner also ordered the deployment of additional operational assets consisting of Operatives of the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Quick Response Unit, State Intelligence Bureau in synergy with other security agencies to restore normalcy in the area.

Aya said that part of the Area Command Office was razed by dynamite used by the attackers.

“A Police Inspector died in the exchange of fire with the hoodlums, before the Area Commander and a detachment of Military in the area reinforced to the scene of the incident, and the attackers fled,” the statement said.

He said the commissioner assured the people that the command is committed to working in synergy with other security agencies as well as patriotic stakeholders to make the state a safe and secure place for all and sundry.

 

Sign up for our daily newsletter

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day. Stay informed with the Orijo Reporter's leading coverage of Nigerian and world news.
Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here