Gunmen ambush police patrol in Imo, kill 2 officers

A tragic incident rocked the city of Okigwe in Imo State on Sunday, as unidentified gunmen launched a deadly attack on a police patrol team, resulting in the death of two officers.

The officers, who were attached to Mopol 18 Owerri, were reportedly on a routine patrol near the old Gariki area when the gunmen struck. Eyewitnesses described the attack as sudden and brutal, noting that the officers were caught completely off guard by the hail of bullets.

According to local sources, the ambush left two officers fatally wounded, while others on the team sustained varying degrees of injuries. The surviving officers were able to escape the scene and are currently receiving medical attention.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Henry Okoye, described the attack as unfortunate and noted that efforts were underway to apprehend the perpetrators.

“The incident that happened in Okigwe is a very unfortunate one,” Okoye stated. “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the attack and gruesome murder of two of our personnel. These officers, attached to Mopol 18 Owerri, were deployed on routine patrol duty.”

Okoye added that the Commissioner, along with the Commander of Mopol 18 and other senior officers, had visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

“We have deployed tactical teams and charged them to go all out, in synergy with the military, to hunt down the hoodlums responsible for this senseless act of violence,” he said.

The incident has heightened concerns about the security situation in the region, with residents calling for urgent measures to curb the spate of targeted attacks on security personnel.