By Cajetan Mmuta, Awka
Terror returned to Anambra State on Wednesday as gunmen launched deadly coordinated attacks on the Oko Divisional Police Headquarters in Orumba North and the Ekwulobia flyover in Aguata Local Government Area, leaving at least three people feared dead and several others injured.
The attacks, which sparked hours of fierce gun battles between the assailants and a joint security force led by the Anambra Police Command, sent residents and students of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko, fleeing for safety.
According to police reports, the gunmen—suspected to be part of regrouped criminal gangs and cult factions—stormed the two communities in the early hours of Wednesday, opening fire indiscriminately and causing widespread panic.
Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the police-led team successfully repelled the attackers, killing one of the gunmen and recovering two sophisticated firearms—an AK-47 rifle and an automatic pump-action gun—as well as four vehicles used by the criminals.
The recovered vehicles include a red Toyota Camry with registration number ENU 58 SC; a custom-coloured GLK Mercedes-Benz without a registration number; a golden Lexus 330 marked ENU 815 AP; and an ash-coloured Toyota Highlander with registration number GDD 517 RW
Tragically, two civilians were caught in the crossfire and fatally shot during the assault at the Ekwulobia flyover.
A brown Toyota Sienna vehicle belonging to the Anambra State Vigilante Group was also torched by the gunmen.
“The Armed criminals, without provocation, shot indiscriminately under the Ekwulobia flyover. In a swift response, the Joint Security Team engaged the hoodlums in a fierce gun duel,” Ikenga said in a statement. “Regrettably, the incident recorded the death of two unsuspecting members of the public and the burning of a security vehicle.”
Meanwhile, an attempted invasion of the Oko Police Division was foiled as officers on duty repelled the attackers. No casualties were recorded in that engagement.
The renewed violence is feared to be a resurgence by gunmen previously flushed out of their forest hideouts by operatives of the Agunechemba security outfit. Intelligence sources suspect the armed groups have regrouped and are now targeting strategic security points across the state.
The twin towns of Oko and Ekwulobia have remained tense, with the sound of gunfire reverberating through the streets. Shops were shuttered, and academic activities were halted as students and residents sought refuge in neighbouring communities.
This latest attack comes barely a week after 13 people were killed in similar outbreaks of violence in other parts of the state, raising concerns over a renewed wave of insecurity.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, who recently intensified peace-building and community engagement efforts across Anambra’s 179 communities, has ordered the deployment of additional security personnel to the affected areas.
He urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with law enforcement agencies, assuring that measures have been reinforced to forestall further attacks.
“The command will not relent until all criminal elements threatening the peace and safety of our people are brought to justice,” Orutugu said.
Security operations are ongoing in the area as the police continue to trail fleeing assailants.
