Two officers have died following an attack on a police station in Adani, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, raising concerns over incessant assaults on security formations in the largely peaceful South-East region of Nigeria.

The incident happened on Wednesday morning with the yet-to-be-identified assailants razing the police station.

A statement issued by the Enugu Police Command said the operatives engaged the attackers in a gun duel during which two of the officers were injured and later confirmed dead.

“The unknown assailants, who attacked the Station in their numbers, were resisted by Police Operatives on duty and in the ensuing gun duel, some of the gunmen escaped with gunshot injuries,” the police said.

The largely peaceful South-East region has witnessed a spike in attack on police formations.

During an on-the-spot assessment of the police station, the Police Commissioner in Enugu State, Mohammed Ndatsu Aliyu, ordered the immediate deployment of the Command’s operational and intelligence assets to identify and apprehend the attackers.

The commissioner who visited the affected police formation alongside heads of other security agencies in the state also commiserated with the families and friends of the slain police officers who he said paid the ultimate price.

Governors from the southeast have established the “Ebube Agu” to curb insecurity in the region.

He also called on the public to help the security agencies, by providing credible information, to aid the immediate identification and arrest of the perpetrators.

A Recurring Pattern

The largely peaceful Southeast region of Nigeria has witnessed a spike in attacks on security formations in recent weeks, further heightening tensions in an area where calls for secession have become rife.

A few days back, gunmen burnt the Zone 13 police headquarters in Ukpo, Anambra State, just two weeks after armed men struck and razed the Imo State Police Command headquarters.

Efforts have been intensified to track the assailants.

Governors from the region had established the “Ebube Agu” security network as part of moves to combat insecurity in the area, a development which critics argue is belated. (Text, excluding headline, courtesy Channels TV)

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