The police in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, say they have destroyed some camps belonging to gunmen who recently attacked police facilities in the state.
The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement which was forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday.
This newspaper, Thursday, reported how gunmen bombed Neni Police Divisional Headquarters in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.
Read also: Gunmen-throw-bomb-into-police-facility-in-south-east.
Another police facility was earlier attacked by some hoodlums in Awgbu, a community in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.
Destroying of camps
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said police operatives in collaboration with other security agencies, on Friday, raided and destroyed some of the camps used by the hoodlums to launch attacks on the police facilities in the state.
He did not mention other security agencies that took part in the joint operation.
The spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aderemi Adeoye, ordered the operation, adding that some of the camps were located in Ogbunka, Orumba South Council Area of the state.
“The cowardly criminals fled in the face of the onslaught. Six improvised explosives devices already primed for attacks and two walkie talkies were recovered from the camps.
“Also recovered were substantial food and groceries supply. All the camps were subsequently destroyed to deny the insurgents bases for launching attacks,” he said.
Mr Ikenga said the operation was still ongoing with the aim of “eliminating the terrorists, rescuing abducted victims, recovering firearms and stolen vehicles” in their possession.
He said Mr Adeoye, has assured residents of Anambra State that the police in the state will continue to serve them “selflessly” despite the risks involved.
The police commissioner urged the residents to cooperate with the police in identifying hideouts of insurgents terrorising the state and assured the residents that their identities would be shielded to avoid being victimised.
Background
Like in other states in the South-east, attacks on police facilities in Anambra State are not new.
Several police facilities have been attacked and razed by gunmen terrorising residents across the state and the region.
Apart from police facilities, many offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission have been targets of the attacks by the gunmen across the region, which has witnessed deteriorating security in recent times.
Hundreds of persons, including security agencies, traditional rulers and government officials, have been killed or abducted in such attacks
The Nigerian government has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.