JUST IN: Again, Gunmen Attack Imo Police Station, Kidnap Cop

Some gunmen again have attacked the Mbieri Divisional Police Headquarters in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo state.

Punch gathered from an indigene of Mbieri that the fleeing gunmen struck around 1am and immediately released the suspects in custody in the police facility.

The gunmen also took away the phones belonging to suspects and the police operatives at the Division.

But a police source at Division told Punch that the gunmen were repelled by the policemen on duty.

The police source said, “We resisted them but they overpowered us. They had more sophisticated weapons. They took all the phones they saw, released the suspects when they gained access and vandalised the police building.”

The source confided in our correspondent that the attackers kidnapped one police officer and injured two other cops.

Thursday’s attack would be the third against police facility this week alone in the state.

On Monday, a police headquarters and correctional centre were attacked by gunmen and over 1,800 inmates were freed. Not less than 50 vehicles were also burnt during the attack with the help of explosives.

A community leader, Nokey Ebikam, said the police divisional headquarters was not burnt.

According to him, the gunmen didn’t raze the police facility but freed the suspects in detention after vandalising the Division.

Another indigene of the area, Darlington Irobi, confirmed the attack on the police facility.

He also disclosed that the suspects were freed by the rampaging gunmen.

Police spokesperson in the state, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the attack on the police station when he was contacted by The PUNCH on Thursday morning.

He also confirmed that while one police officer was missing, two others where injured owing to the resistance put by the policemen on duty.

Ikeokwu, also confirmed that some suspects detained in the police facility were freed by the attackers.

He, however assured that the police authority in the state had commenced investigation into the attack, immediately.