Eight military, police are presumed dead in Imo, raising tension

The Imo State Police Command has vowed to track down the assassins of the security agents who were killed on Tuesday in Umualumaku, the state’s Ehime Mbano Local Government Area.

On Tuesday, gunmen wreaked havoc in the Umualumaku community in Imo State’s Ehime Mbano Local Government Area, killing around eight security personnel, including soldiers, police officers, and members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

There was panic among the locals as a result of the occurrence, which occurred at around 9.30am.

It was learned that the attackers killed and burned ablaze members of the Joint Task Force who were in two Hilux vans while they were in the patrol cars.

They were all burned alive inside their functional vehicles, therefore none of them survived.

Henry Okoye, the state police command’s spokesperson, acknowledged the occurrence while also stating that an investigation into the gruesome killings has begun.

“I have told you that we are looking into it,” Okoye stated. I can assure the public that we will find those who are involved and bring them before the law.

He was unable to confirm how many security personnel were slain in the attack, though.

A resident of the community, who begged anonymity, verified the heavy presence of individuals from several security organizations, including troops, following the killings.

He continued by saying that when residents saw the arrival of security personnel from various agencies in Umualumaku, they became alarmed and started to flee.

“As soon as military personnel in armored personnel carriers arrived in our community, everyone started to panic and flee,” he claimed.

They arrived at the scene where the men were set ablaze well-loaded with numerous armed men and weapons. Even those from Umuahia are all present, according to what we’ve heard; a joint team of security professionals was sent.

An unnamed security operative revealed to one of our correspondents that reinforcement teams had been dispatched to the crime scene in order to apprehend the suspects and remove the bodies of the deceased security personnel.

Another local, who only went by the name Magnus, claimed to have seen the security guards just before they were set on fire.

He claimed that as a result of the development, the neighborhood was completely confused.

Additionally, a security official told our correspondent that military and police officers had been dispatched to the community but demanded that his name not be used since he was not authorized to speak about the event.

He claimed that the murders of security agents working for the state government’s Operation Search and Flush had incensed the leaders of the security formations in the state.

Security personnel have been dispatched to the neighborhood, he said. The incident’s videotape is graphic. Our men and those of the other sister security agencies are being dispatched to the neighborhood as I speak with you. The bodies of the deceased officers must first be retrieved, and suspects must be sought.

A local source who only provided his name as Chidi confirmed the presence of security personnel in the neighborhood and claimed that residents had left for fear of being detained.

He claimed that the incident had caused chaos in the neighborhood and that security personnel had cordoned off the area.

This is dreadful, he remarked. Our neighborhood has been taken over by security personnel. Drivers are turning around and using alternate routes.

A different member of the local neighborhood claimed to have seen the security guards just before they were attacked.

“This is awful. A few while before they were attacked, I spotted them. They drove through my neighborhood, and then we soon learned that they had been attacked and killed. The insider continued, “Some young people went to the area and confirmed the tragic news.