The Imo State Police Command on Monday blamed the attack on the state’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters on suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Gunmen attacked the INEC facility along Port Harcourt Road in Owerri, the state capital, on Monday morning. The heinous attack killed four people, including one police officer.
A few hours after the attack, Mike Abattam, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, told Channels Television that an investigation is underway to identify the group responsible for the heinous act.
“They are suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra. Presently, we are investigating. It is the outcome of our investigation that will determine those that will be held complicit,” he said.
“We gave them a hot chase. The Command’s Tactical teams were able to follow them and in the process, we were able to neutralise three of them.”
Three AK-47 rifles, three pump action guns, two Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), petrol bombs, charms, and other dangerous weapons were recovered, according to a police spokesman.
Noting that two of the gunmen were apprehended alive with bullet wounds, a police official stated that the Command is still combing the area for other fleeing suspects.
Attacks on INEC offices have recently increased, just two months before the 2023 general elections.
