The violent attack by gunmen at an Imo checkpoint results in the death of 4 police officers, intensifying security concerns.
Four police officers were killed at a stop-and-search checkpoint along the Owerri-Onitsha road in Imo State by gunmen on Monday evening.
The incident took place within the vicinity of Irete, located in the Owerri-west Local Government Area.
According to an eyewitness who lived in Irete, the gunmen forcefully entered a well-known hotel with a police checkpoint at approximately 6:30 pm. They proceeded to shoot at the officers on duty and also injured a female Point of Sale (POS) operator as well as multiple bystanders. The victims received urgent medical attention and were transported to a nearby hospital.
Around 6:30 pm, the gunmen invaded one of Irete’s popular hotels, where a police checkpoint was located. The four policemen on stop-and-search duty and a Point of Sale operator were shot at by them. A female Point of Sale operator and some pedestrians who were not ready for it also got killed in the process according to an eyewitness account. The same road witnessed another attack previously as several policemen on duty alongside civilians lost their lives similarly. As claimed by the witness, this location has become prone to attacks from these perpetrators; hence there is a need for increased security measures implementation by government officials before any further occurrence happens again.
An undisclosed community member speculated that the aggressors were implementing the Monday sit-at-home decree. To their knowledge, this order had already been terminated in Imo State. “I was not aware that the Monday sit-at-home policy was still valid here,” they disclose confidentially. They are now concerned that citizens will be too apprehensive to leave their homes on Mondays following today’s tragic events at risk of being targeted by armed assailants.”
As of the time of this report, Henry Okoye, the spokesman for Imo State Police could not be reached as he did not respond to any text messages despite several attempts.
The occurrence emphasizes the persistent security difficulties in the region and underscores the necessity for enhanced protective measures to avert future aggression.
