Gunmen attack INEC secretariat, police division in Anambra

 

The armed attackers came in three Hilux trucks at about 8 p.m. on Sunday.

The targetted attacks on police and INEC facilities continued on Sunday with an attack on a police division and an office of the electoral agency on Sunday evening.

 

The latest attacks occurred in Awka, Anambra State.

 

The gunmen Sunday evening attacked the B Division of the Nigeria Police Force and the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Awka.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the fully armed attackers came in three Hilux trucks at about 8 p.m. on Sunday.

 

A witness who almost ran into the troubled area located between the popular Ekwueme Square, Awka, said the bandits shot into the air close to one hour at B Police Division before proceeding to INEC office.

 

The source, who asked not to be named, said before proceeding to INEC, the gunmen drove to Aroma junction and shot in the air for about 10 minutes which made residents scamper for safety before they headed down to INEC.

 

Though the source said he could not speak on causality figure, he added that there was the likelihood of colossal damage at both institutions with many feared killed.

 

“I saw flames of fire going up from the police station and INEC offices, but I cannot say whether people were killed or not because I did not go closer,” he said.

 

When contacted, Nkwachukwu Orji, INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Anambra, said he had received information on the attack in his office, but he could not officially comment on the matter.

 

“I need to get clear picture of what happened in my office before I can speak”, he said.

 

Also, Tochukwu Ikenga, the state Police Public Relations Officer, said he was still making contacts to get the correct situation of things around the two federal institutions in the state.

 

Dozens of police officers have been killed in the past two months and many police facilities destroyed in attacks that have occurred in the South-east and South-south regions. The gunmen have also targeted INEC offices with the electoral agency warning that the attacks could affect future elections.

 

The police have blamed an outlawed secessionist group, IPOB, for the attacks. Many IPOB leaders and members have also been killed or arrested for allegedly masterminding some of the attacks.

 

The group, which wants an independent country for the Igbos, has, however, denied responsibility for the attacks.