Two officials of the Owerri Correctional Centre in Imo State, have been killed by unknown assailants.
The attackers had on Wednesday morning, laid ambush on the officials at Umulolo area of Okigwe local government area of the State, and threw a dynamite into their vehicle which exploded immediately.
A source who pleaded anonymity, said the gunmen threw the explosive, which killed the two officials, while four others were injured and taken to an undisclosed hospital.
The source said, “It was a convoy of two Hilux vans with personnel on joint patrol of Operation Search and Flush, to rid the state of criminality. Six of our men were in the vehicle that exploded. Unfortunately, two died on the spot, while the other four are receiving treatment.”
According to him, the joint patrol involved operatives from the Police, Army, Civil Defence, even though the deceased officials chose to stay in their own operational vehicle.
After the explosion, people scampered for safety, while the assailants escaped in their vehicle.
Another source gave the names of the slain officials as Thompson and Ikoku.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Goodluck Uboegbulem, said details will be released after assessment of the situation.
“We are still assessing the situation, but if you can call me later, I will be able to give you the full details”, he said.
