Gunmen have attacked the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ebonyi State, killing one police officer.
The incident happened on Tuesday, the Ebonyi State Police Command spokesperson, Loveth Odah, said. According to her, two of the gunmen were also killed in the duel.
While narrating how the incident happened, she said the Ebonyi Police Commissioner, Aliyu Garba, got a distress call from the NDLEA Commandant in the south-east state at about 2:30 am on Tuesday informing him of the attack.
According to her, the gunmen drove into the NDLEA headquarters in a Toyota 4Runner Jeep, shooting sporadically at the men on duty.
The Commission immediately mobilised a combined team of a mobile police force and military personnel to the area and promptly repelled the attack.
Some of the gunmen later escaped with bullet injuries while two rifles (AK-49 and K2) with 140 K2 live ammunition, 30 AK-47 live ammunition, and 36 GPMP were recovered from the assailants.
Other things recovered were 65 Barreta Pistol live ammunition, one Toyota 4Runner Jeep, some chairs, and other incriminating items, the police spokesperson added.
Efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing gunmen, she said.
Tuesday’s incident is the latest in a series of attacks on security formations in the southeast region in recent times. Police and other security personnel have been targets of attacks in the area, sparking fears among residents.
Aside from security officers, other public establishments including offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have been attacked.
Stakeholders fear that the rising wave of gunmen attacks in the southeast may affect the 2023 elections.
