FIREBOMBERS TARGET ANAMBRA AS SECURITY PERSONNEL FEND OFF ATTACKERS, THE LG SECRETARIAT

In the early hours of Thursday, arsonists used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to attack the Ihiala local government office in Anambra State.

Before using petrol bombs to attack the buildings in the local government secretariat, the attackers also killed three Vigilante members who were guarding the facility and beheaded one of them.

However, a team of police and military operatives working together put an end to the attack, killed one of the arsonists, and found the bodies of three murdered vigilantes at the secretariat.

Police/military operatives had recovered four dead bodies of villagers in the Ihiala local government area, who were killed by bullets fired by a gang of rampaging hoodlums on a shooting spree in the area, about four days earlier.

DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, confirmed Thursday’s attack on the secretariat of Ihiala local government area, saying that the joint Police/Military team received a distress call about the arsonists’ attack at about 2.55 a.m. on Thursday.

He stated that in addition to killing one of the arsonists, the security operatives left several of the attackers with bullet wounds before they fled and recovered many of their firearms, including an AK47 rifle, ammunition, IEDs, charms, and other items.

The Police spokesperson said: “Following the Police/Military operations ongoing in Ihiala and its neighbouring town, the Operatives responding to a distress call at about 2:55 am, today 12/1/2023 of an attack on Ihiala local government headquarters, neutralised one of the attackers, recovered two locally made IED luncher, seven undetonated IED, forty pieces of live cartridges, fifteen live 7.62MM Ak47 ammunition, knives, charms, and other dangerous weapons.

“The attackers had already murdered, three vigilante operatives on duty, beheaded one and set five buildings ablaze with IED and petrol bombs.

“The joint force operatives engaged the arsonist/attackers and prevented further damage, while some escaped with bullet wounds.”

DSP Tochukwu also revealed that the security team’s operation was still in progress in the area and that the bodies of the assassinated vigilantes had been placed in a morgue.