Gunmen kill Seven in Imo late-night attack

Unidentified gunmen stormed the communities of Umualoma, Ndiakunwanta, and Ndiejezie in Arondizogu, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State on Thursday night, killing no fewer than seven people in a deadly rampage.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers, who rode on motorcycles, opened fire indiscriminately on residents between 10pm and 11pm, targeting shop owners, their customers, and unsuspecting passersby.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said tactical teams had been deployed and were already conducting an aggressive manhunt for the killers.

Okoye, in a statement, quoted the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, as condemning the attack, which he attributed to suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN).

“The Commissioner of Police, Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the gruesome attack carried out by gunmen suspected to be members of the proscribed IPOB/ESN,” the statement read. “The senseless assault, which claimed the lives of over seven persons and left several others critically injured, was described by the CP as barbaric, inhumane, and totally unacceptable.”

The police added that operational and intelligence teams have been dispatched to the affected areas and that the situation has since been brought under control.

The CP, who led the tactical units during the ongoing operation, assured residents of strengthened security to prevent further attacks and promised that those responsible would be brought to justice.

He also expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, praying for the peaceful repose of the deceased and quick recovery for the injured.