By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
There was tension in Anambra State Friday as unknown gunmen attacked Ajali Divisional Headquarters in Orumba South local government area and set it on fire.
The hoodlums also killed two policemen during the attack and set free all the inmates inside the police cell.
Also, a driver attached to a former governorship aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), and member representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ekwusigo federal constituency, Chris Azubogu, was shot dead by suspected gunmen during an attack on the convoy of the lawmaker.
Azubogu’s convoy was said to have been attacked in front of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Nnobi, near Nnewi.
However, at the time they struck, the lawmaker was not in any of the vehicles. However, his driver was not lucky as the gunmen shot and killed him in the process.
It was gathered that while convoy was heading to Nnewi, after they had attended a public function before the attack took place.
Findings, however, revealed that an unidentified number of inmates inside the station cell were set free by the heavily armed men.
Meanwhile, State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Tony Olofu, has assured Anambra residents of the renewed commitment of the command to consolidate on the gains in crime prevention and restoration of law and order in the state towards improvement of safety and security of lives, as well as property of law-abiding citizens.
Olofu gave the reassurance on the heels of recent isolated incidents of security breaches in the state.
He noted that some yet-to-be-identified heavily armed men stormed the Ajali Divisional Headquarters of the State Command and fired sporadically at police personnel on duty.
The gunmen were, however, promptly engaged by the police officers before they fled the scene.
According to a statement by spokesperson of the command, DSP Ikenga Toochukwu “Unfortunately, two (2) police personnel and a civilian sustained gunshot injuries, while a patrol vehicle went in flames and the police station was partly torched.
“A joint team of police and military personnel immediately trailed the fleeing attackers and intercepted them along Oko Ajali Road before the attackers escaped with gunshot injuries. The operatives recovered a highlander jeep and two motorcycles.”
In a similar development, an incident of attack on a motorist was also recorded along the Nnobi-Nnewi Road of the state where some hoodlums reportedly shot the driver and abducted the other occupants of the vehicle.
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Investigations into the incidents are ongoing while efforts are being intensified to identify and rescue the occupants of the vehicle.
While condemning the unfortunate incidents, the commissioner of police called on citizens in the State to be calm, patriotic and go about their lawful businesses as the Police, the military and other security agencies are already rejigging strategies to contain the situation and prevent any further threats to lives and property in the state.
He vowed that the perpetrators of these dastardly acts will not go unpunished.
