Insecurity spreads across southeast as about 100 gunmen attack Abia police station

NIGERIA'S growing insecurity has taken a turn for the worse as it spreads across the southeast geo-political zone as over 100 gunmen attacked the Bende Divisional Police Station in Abia State and burnt it to the ground.

Over recent weeks, violence has continued sp-reading across the southeast, particularly in Imo State and yesterday it reared its head in neighbouring Abia. Eyewitnesses said the hoodlums set the station on fire  about 11 pm yesterday evening during an attack that left two security operatives with gunshot wounds.

One eyewitness said:  “We heard a cacophony of gunshots around 10.45pm and when we rushed outside, we saw the station on fire. At that point, it dawned on us that the station was under attack so everybody began to scamper for safety.”

Godfrey Ogbonna, a spokesman for the Abia State Police Command confirmed the attack, saying that the security operatives were shot in the leg and that the attackers also burnt down the generator house. He added that they also set ablaze a multi-purpose building, belonging to Bende Local Government Area and released criminal suspects, who were detained at the station.

Mr Ogbonna said: “They also burnt two vehicles, including the divisional police officer’s Highlander Jeep and three motorcycles parked at the station. We do not know yet how they all gathered to execute the attack at the station but maybe they parked their vehicles away from their target and walked through footpaths to the place.”

He added that the command had embarked on full investigations into the incident and other recent gunmen attacks in different parts of the state. This latest attack happened barely six hours after Governor Okezie Ikpeazu left the council premises just opposite the police station, where he attended a reception to welcome a former legislator, Nnenna Ukeje, back into the Peoples Democratic Party.