Bandits attacked Njaba Police Station in Imo State, yesterday, engaged police and army officers in a gun duel and in the process they sustained injuries of varying degrees.
The bandits attempted to gain entrance into the police post with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), but were repelled by the officers.
Confirming the incident, Spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Michael Abattam, said in a statement that on sighting the bandits, the police officers gave them a hot chase before the soldiers in the area joined them, leading to exchange of gunfire.
He said no life was lost, adding that the hoodlums escaped with injuries, while some abandoned arms were recovered, saying the latest attack was the third time the hoodlums had attacked the station.
“The police operatives engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel and in the process they were suppressed, having suffered a huge defeat, with a number of them sustaining various degrees of bullet wounds, they retreated, running towards Njaba Bridge in a Toyota Sienna vehicle and were given a hot chase by the police operatives.
“Unfortunately for them, the hoodlums ran into a detachment of the Army at Njaba Bridge, who engaged them in another gun battle. During the exchange of gunfire, the hoodlums suffered huge casualty, which made them scamper for safely running into the bush abandoning their operational vehicle.
“Consequently, a manhunt for the hoodlums is ongoing to recover more arms and to arrest them since they cannot move far because of the blood stains seen in the vehicle and in the bush,” the statement reads.
Abattam, however, said the officers recovered a pump action gun abandoned by one of the injured bandits, while the Sienna vehicle used and abandoned was towed to the station for further investigation.
He also said the Commissioner of Police, CP Rabiu Hussaini, commended the officers and men for their gallantry and urged them not to relent in their effort “until all criminal elements and their partners are apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.”
He appealed to Imo people for their support and collaboration by giving security agencies credible and timely information and report any person seen treating bullet wounds or hiding in any community to the nearest police station for prompt action.
