Less than 24 hours after gunmen burnt down the Atta Police Station in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State, another police station in Izombe, Oguta Local Government Area of the state has been touched by people believed to be unknown gunmen.
The unidentified gunmen have razed another police station in Imo State, few hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and outgoing Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu left Owerri, the Imo State capital.
Vice President Osinbajo led a delegation of Federal Government officials including the Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola, to visit the state over Monday, April 5, attack on the correctional center in the state as well as the police headquarters.
Shortly after Osinbajo and his entourage left the state, the gunmen burnt Ehime Mbano Local Government Area Divisional Police Headquarters. The gunmen freed all suspects in detention before setting the Police Divisional headquarters ablaze.
However unlike the Atta incident, four of the hoodlums met their untimely death in an exchange of fire with security agents.
Police Spokesman, Bala Elkana who confirmed it to our correspondent, said that the latest incident occured between 7 pm and 10 pm Saturday.
Bala said that “The hoodlums in their number, launched an offensive on Izombe Police Station but were repelled by the gallant policemen on duty. Four hoodlums were neutralised during the attack while others escaped with bullet wounds.”
He informed that a mop up operation was on going with a view to arresting other fleeing members of the gang.
In a related development, the police said that they uncovered an illegal depot at Ogbo oshishi (Timber Market) Naze in Owerri North Local Government Area, where petroleum products were stored for onward transportation to locations targeted for attacks.
Bala said that the police, acting on information received from credible source, operatives of the Command attached to Anti-riot unit and Quick Intervention Team moved to the place and arrested six persons.
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The depot, according to him, was made up of fourteen shops which were all piled up with the petroleum products suspected to have been obtained through bunkery.
He disclosed that one Tanker Truck with registration number GWA 568 AA was intercepted discharging petroleum products into some drums and sacks, using a Robin EY15 pumping machine, adding that both the truck and the pumping machine were recovered.
