Rivers Police Confirm Killing Of Security Personnel On PH-Owerri Road

The authorities of the Rivers State Police Command have confirmed the killing of eight security men at some road checkpoints along Elele, Isiokpo and Omagwa Road in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, last Saturday night.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed this in a statement in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Omoni noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Friday Eboka, has ordered full scale investigation into the chain of seemingly coordinated incidents, adding that the culprits would be arrested and prosecuted.
The statement reads thus, “I can confirm the attack on security personnel along the Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele/Owerri Road. Details sketchy!
“The CP has launched a full scale investigation into the dastardly attack with a view to arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
“Meanwhile, area is calm with reinforced and increased joint patrols of that stretch and other areas in the state by the security agencies.
“So far, the state is calm and secure, and no cause for alarm,” the statement added.
An eyewitness account has it that unknown gunmen attacked military checkpoints along Elele, Isiokpo and Omagwa communities along Owerri Road, and killed nine military personnel with scores injured while others are missing.
A military officer at airport checkpoint confirmed the attack on condition of anonymity, when The Tide visited the incident scene at about 10pm, last Saturday.
According to the source, the unknown gunmen, numbering over 20, stormed the checkpoint, and started shooting at them without any provocation.
According to the source, three of their men (military officers) were killed on the spot, while two were badly injured and one is still missing.
Another source, who gave his name simply as Chidadi, and privy to the incident, alleged that the invaders attacked four security checkpoints on the Owerri-Port Harcourt Road.
Chidadi noted that four policemen, three Nigeria Customs operatives and two soldiers, believed to be Air Force personnel with the JTF, were the victims of the attack.