The Divisional Police station in Ihiala has been set ablaze by hoodlums, creating fear in the villages and other communities in the area.
Some buildings in the station were completely burnt down and the motive has not been established.
An eye witness said that following the attack on the police station, which is located along the Onitsha-Owerri road, motorists traveling to or from Owerri had to use the Okija- Uli road to bypass Ihiala.
The eye witness said: “Youth gangs with weapons attacked Ihiala Police Station on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, and most of the structures were brought to ruin. Machete attack on Okada riders has continued since then and sporadic gunshots are still heard around the area.
The Anambra State Police command which confirmed the Incident on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, said operation is still going on there.
Tochukwu Ikenga, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, said the hoodlums threw explosives into the station.
He said: “Our operatives in the early hours of today, 28/12/2022 engaged some gunmen who attacked Ihiala police divisional headquarters and recovered one abandoned Ak47 rifle. “The gunmen escaped the scene due to the superior fire power of the police operatives, and no casualty was recorded.
“Unfortunately, the explosives the gunmen threw inside the police station had already ignited fire and affected the building.
“The fire has been put off and operation is still ongoing in the area.”
Gunmen Kill Councillor, One Other Person As Ondo Communal Clashs Escalate
Two persons were killed in Koseru community, a farm settlement in Odigbo local government area of Ondo State when gunmen invaded the area in a suspected reprisal attack.
Those killed were the Councillor representing the axis and a local vigilance member simply identified as Kayode.
The name of the Councillor was yet to be verified as of the time of filing this report.
It was gathered that the gunmen launched the attack on Saturday, December 10, 2022, following the shooting of a woman in Kajola village, Okitipupa local government.
The gunmen suspected to be Ikale youths reportedly destroyed some farmlands.
A Facebook user, Christiana Umukoro, confirmed the attack and said his father was beaten by the attackers.
He said 95 percent of the villages have fled for their lives.
Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Security Matters and Commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said the corpses of the dead have been deposited in a mortuary.
Adeleye, who denied killing of Amotekun operatives in the attack, said normalcy has been restored to the community.
He stated that a combined team of policemen, soldiers and Amotekun Corps kept vigilance in the community.
According to him:” There has been an age-long crisis in Koseru between Oluku family of Ikale in Okitipupa and the Oyo/Osun farmers living in Odigbo local government. The Oyo/Osun are predominantly cash crop farmers. They have been fighting over ownership of the land.
“The fresh crisis erupted when a one women in Kajola was shot.
“We are suspecting a reprisal attack of some Ikale youths who mobilised themselves and launched attack on the unsuspecting Osun/Oyo farmers. There is a Councillor representing Oyo/Osun axis that was killed in the fracas. A vigilance member and not Amotekun was killed. Their corpses have been deposited at the hospital. Amotekun, Police and the Army maintain vigilance overnight to ensure peace returns. The attackers destroyed more of farmlands.”
Ondo Police spokesman, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, said no policeman was killed in the attack.
She said an official statement would soon be released.
Source: Vanguard
