Gunmen Bomb Nigerian Police Facility, Set Inmates Free in Anambra State

The Ihiala Police Divisional Headquarters in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State in southeast Nigeria was bombed by gunmen.

Information gathered from residents stated that the attack occurred on Wednesday at around three in the morning.

A building inside the station was reportedly destroyed by improvised explosive devices that the gunmen threw into the area.

Local resident Uju Okafor claimed that the explosion and random firing by the attackers prevented them from getting any sleep during the attack.

“When I started hearing about the intense shootings and bomb explosions, I was quite afraid,” she added.

According to Mr. Okafor, they didn’t realize the incident had taken place at the police complex until later in the morning.

Tochukwu Ikenga, the Anambra State police spokesperson, confirmed the attack in a statement on Wednesday as reported.

According to Mr. Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, during the attack, some police officers engaged the attackers in a shootout and later found one Ak-47 weapon.

He said there were no casualties in the incident and that the operatives’ “superior firing” power allowed the shooters to “leave the area.”

The explosives that the assailants placed into the police station building, he claimed, “unfortunately, had already started a fire and harmed the building.”
However, the police spokeswoman claimed that the fire had been extinguished.

In response to a question about whether the attackers released any prisoners, Mr. Ikenga responded, “Yes, and we are on their trail now.”

He did not provide the precise number of prisoners released by the gunmen.