On Wednesday, gunmen attacked the Umulogho Community in Obowo Local Government Area of Imo State, killing a police officer and setting part of a police station on fire.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m. at Umulogho, near NEPA Junction on the Owerri-Umuahia Road. The assailants, believed to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), arrived in a Sienna bus and spent over an hour profiling residents before identifying and killing the police officer. The officer was reportedly tortured with a machete before succumbing to his injuries.
Following the attack, the gunmen returned in the early hours of Wednesday and set ablaze a section of the Divisional Police Station. It took several hours for military personnel to respond to the distress call from residents.
A source from the community criticized the slow police response despite the presence of multiple police formations in the area. The source expressed concern over the lack of operational vehicles and called for increased security measures and support for the police from the State Government.
Police Public Relations Officer ASP Henry Okoye confirmed the attack and stated that a special unit had been deployed to apprehend the perpetrators. Okoye also mentioned that the Commissioner of Police and other service chiefs would visit the scene for an on-the-spot assessment to boost confidence among officers and residents.