The police in Enugu State have foiled attempts by gunmen to attack a police facility in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state. The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement on Friday. He said police operatives foiled the attack at about 6 p.m. on Thursday. Mr Ndukwe said the criminals, operating in black Hilux van and Toyota highlander SUV vehicles, stormed the facility in large numbers and attempted to attack the area, before the police responded.
“The hoodlums shot sporadically at the station, with the operatives returning fire, forcing the criminal elements, many of suspected to have sustained gunshot wounds, to escape,” he said.
The police spokesperson said there was no loss of police personnel in the attack.
“The general public and owners of medical facilities in the state have been enjoined to report any person(s) sighted with gunshot injuries to the nearest police station,” Mr Ndukwe added.
Enugu, like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, has witnessed an increase in deadly attacks lately. The latest incident comes less than one month after gunmen attacked a police checkpoint along Agbani Road in Enugu South Local Government Area of the state. Two officers were feared killed in that attack. Last month, another police officer was killed by gunmen who attacked a police checkpoint in Ibagwa-Ani, a community in the Nsukka Local Government Area of the state. Earlier last month, two police officers were also killed when gunmen attacked Mkpamte Community in the Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of the state. The State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, recently banned the operations of motorcycles and tricycles in some local government areas to check the frequent attacks in the state. The governor later lifted the ban following public outcry, and assurances from leaders of the transport operators to assist the government in bringing an end to the attacks. The attacks, mostly targeted at security officials and government facilities, have been attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which is agitating for a sovereign state for the Igbo-speaking people in the South-east. The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is standing trial for terrorism.
