In a tragic incident on Monday evening, gunmen attacked a police checkpoint along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Imo State, killing four police officers and several civilians.
The attack occurred around 6:30 pm near a popular hotel in Irete, Owerri West Local Government Area.
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“The gunmen stormed one of the popular hotels where the police checkpoint was mounted at Irete around 6:30 pm and shot at the four policemen on a stop-and-search duty, including a Point of Sale operator,” an eyewitness who requested anonymity recounted. “They also shot dead a female Point Of Sale operator and some pedestrians who were taken unawares and rushed to a nearby hospital. It was horrific. All the people around ran away for fear of being hit by stray bullets.”
The witness highlighted the growing danger on this stretch of road, recalling previous attacks. “This road has become a soft spot for them. Last time, they also shot dead several policemen on duty and civilians. Government should beef up security in this area to forestall further occurrences.”
Another local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that the attackers were enforcing the Monday sit-at-home order in the South-East, a directive originally intended as a form of protest. “I didn’t know the Monday sit-at-home is still existing in Imo State. I thought it had been stopped but with what happened today, people will no longer come out on Monday for fear of being killed by gunmen.”
Attempts to reach Imo State Police Spokesman Henry Okoye for comments were unsuccessful as he did not respond to text messages at the time of filing this report.
The attack underscores the persistent security challenges in the region and the need for increased vigilance and enhanced security measures to protect both law enforcement officers and civilians.
