Arsonists have attacked the secretariat of Ihiala local government area of Anambra State with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the early hours of Thursday.
The attackers also murdered three Vigilante members guarding the local government secretariat, beheaded one of them, before attacking the buildings in the local government secretariat with petrol bombs.
But, a combined team of Police and Military operatives halted the attack and killed a member of the gang of arsonists and recovered the three bodies of murdered vigilantes at the secretariat.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the Police/Military operatives had about four days earlier recovered four dead bodies of villagers in the Ihiala local government area, who were killed by bullets of a gang of rampaging hoodlums, who were shooting spree in the area.
Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, who confirmed Thursday’s attack on the secretariat of Ihiala local government area, said that the joint Police/Military team had received a distress call about the arsonists’ attack at about 2.55am on Thursday.
He stated that the security operatives in addition to killing one of the arsonists left several of the attackers with bullet wounds before they escaped, and recovered many of their firearms, including an AK47 rifle, ammunition, IEDs, charms, among others.
The Police spokesperson said: “Following the Police/Military operations ongoing in Ihiala and its neighbouring town, the Operatives responding to a distress call at about 2:55 am, today 12/1/2023 of an attack on Ihiala local government headquarters, neutralised one of the attackers, recovered two locally made IED luncher, seven undetonated IED, forty pieces of live cartridges, fifteen live 7.62MM Ak47 ammunition, knives, charms, and other dangerous weapons.
“The attackers had already murdered, three vigilante operatives on duty, beheaded one and set five buildings ablaze with IED and petrol bombs.
“The joint force operatives engaged the arsonist/attackers, and obstructed them from causing further damages, while some escaped with bullet wounds.”
DSP Tochukwu further disclosed that the operation by the security team was still ongoing in the area, and that the bodies of the murdered vigilante members had been deposited in a morgue.
