Four persons have been killed following an attack on a US Consulate staff convoy along Atani, Osamale Road in Anambra State on Tuesday.
The spokesman of the Anambra State Police Command Tobechukwu Ikenga confirmed the development in a statement but said no US citizen was in the convoy.
“The Joint Security Forces have embarked on a rescue/recovery operation in Ogbaru LGA, following an attack on a convoy of staff of U S Consulate today 16/5/2023 by 3:30 pm along Atani, Osamale Road,” he noted.
“The hoodlums murdered two of the PMF operatives, and two staff of the Consulate, and set their bodies and vehicles ablaze. Also, the arsonist/murderers on sighting the responding joint security forces abducted two Police operatives, the driver of the second vehicle and took to their heels. No U S citizen was in the convoy.”
While expressing the Command’s regret over the convoy’s entry into the state without recourse to the police or any other security agency in the area, the spokesman assured that the police won’t be deterred in their battle against insurgents.
Such battle, he noted, “will remain sustained until such a time security stability is fully restored”.
In the wake of the attack, the US National Security Council Spokesperson John Kirby said no American citizen was affected.
“I just got informed about a whole lot before coming out here to talk to you all. Just looks like a US convoy vehicle was attacked,” he said on his YouTube channel. ”What I can tell you is that no US citizens were involved and therefore there was no US citizens hurt. But we are aware of some casualties perhaps even some killed.”
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks in Anambra. In recent times, there have been targeted assaults on security and government facilities and high-profile people or organisations in the state.
There has also been rising insecurity in the state with robbery attacks becoming a day to day experience for residents in Onitsha, Nkpor, Umuoji, Ogidi Abetete axis, the security situation is said to be even worse in Ihiala, Okija, Nnewi, Amawbia, Amansea area of the state with peculiar but worse cases in the state capital Awka. Several robbery cases have been reported around Book Foundation, Ifite area of Awka especially by students who allege armed robbery cases atleast once every two days.
While no group has claimed the attacks and little has been done to put an end to the incessant armed robbery attacks in Ifite, book foundation and other areas of Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ihiala, security agencies say they are battle ready to take on the perpetrators of the various criminal activities in the state.