Ogona Anita
Gunmen have killed a passer-by during an attack on a vigilante office in Amesi, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The attack, which occurred on Friday night, also saw several vehicles belonging to local vigilante operatives set ablaze.
Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums stormed the community, opened fire on the vigilante office, and razed various vehicles parked within the vicinity.They were shooting heavily at the vigilante office and one man who was passing through the area was killed by a stray bullet,” a resident, who requested anonymity, said.
The slain victim has been identified as Chinonso Nnaka from Udo Village in Akpo, a neighboring community in the same council area.
Confirming the incident in a statement on Saturday, the Anambra State Police Command, through its spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga, said no life was lost during the attack.Ikenga, a superintendent of police, disclosed that security operatives engaged the gunmen in a fierce shootout, preventing them from gaining full access to the vigilante facility.
“Unfortunately, four patrol vehicles and two motorcycles were burnt as a result of the gun duel by security operatives resisting the armed hoodlums from gaining entrance,” he stated.
He said police operatives have been deployed to the area to maintain order, adding that normalcy had been restored following intensified operations by a joint security team.
“The situation is being closely monitored, and further developments will be communicated accordingly,” Ikenga added.
This is not the first time gunmen have attacked security formations in the South-east, a region that has witnessed a surge in violent incidents in recent years.
The latest attack comes after months of relative peace in Anambra State following the introduction of a new security outfit and intensified operations by Governor Charles Soludo’s administration.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest assault. However, authorities often blame the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for similar attacks, though the group has consistently denied involvement.
IPOB is pushing for the creation of an independent Biafra nation from Nigeria’s South-east and parts of the South-south.
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