Two police officers were killed when hoodlums attacked the Uratta Police Station in Aba, Abia State, in the early hours of Saturday.
The state Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, disclosed that three other people, including two police officers and a civilian, sustained injuries and were taken to the Abia State University Teaching Hospital in Aba.
Afolabi spoke during an inspection of the damage at the station alongside Governor Alex Otti.
Asked about the number of officers killed in the attack, the police commissioner replied, ‘Two people.’
According to the commissioner, the attackers set some parts of the facility ablaze, while a Hilux van and other vehicles were burnt or damaged.
“I was there by 4 am and the most important thing is to get the culprit, and that is what we are doing,” Afolabi said.
He said no arrests had been made in connection with the attack but assured residents that the police were making efforts to track down and arrest those responsible.
“The assurance I can give is that wherever they are, whenever they enter the hole, we will bring them out,” he said.
A source familiar with the incident, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said the attackers appeared to have targeted the police armoury but found it empty. The source also alleged that the hoodlums carted away some police uniforms.
The source further claimed that one of the attackers was shot dead but was taken away by his colleagues.
The attack reportedly took place around 2 am on Saturday, with one of the slain officers said to have been burnt beyond recognition.
Governor Otti later visited the injured victims at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital in Aba.
The Uratta Police Station was previously attacked on February 23, 2021, when gunmen killed a police sergeant identified as Okezie and set ablaze a police patrol vehicle donated by the state government.