Two policemen have been killed and three people injured after gunmen attacked the Uratta Police Station in Aba, Abia State, early Saturday, setting parts of the facility and several vehicles on fire.
The attack reportedly happened around 2 am, leaving the station badly damaged. A Hilux van and other vehicles were also burnt.
A source familiar with the incident said the attackers appeared to be searching for weapons in the police armoury but found it empty. They allegedly took some police uniforms before leaving.
The source also claimed that one of the gunmen was shot dead during the attack, but his colleagues carried his body away.
Abia State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, confirmed the deaths and injuries while visiting the scene with Governor Alex Otti on Saturday.
Afolabi said the injured victims, including a civilian, were receiving treatment at the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba.
“The hoodlums came. Some of the shelters above were set ablaze,” the police commissioner said.
He said he arrived at the scene around 4 am and identified the arrest of those behind the attack as the immediate priority.
“For now, we have not made any arrests, but we are working on that,” he said.
Afolabi assured residents that the police would track down the attackers and bring them to justice. The governor later visited the injured victims at the hospital.
The attack has renewed concerns about assaults on police facilities in the area. On February 23, 2021, gunmen attacked the same station, killing a police sergeant identified as Okezie and burning a patrol vehicle donated by the state government.
No arrests had been announced as of Saturday.
