Gunmen have set ablaze the Umuguma Divisional Police Headquarters situated in the Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

It was gathered that the gunmen attacked the police station in the early hours of Saturday and killed two police constables who were on duty.

The attack comes a few hours after the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 9 Umuahia, Isaac Akinmoyede, left the state after a visit.

The assailants were said to have stormed the police station with guns and explosive ordnance disposals as they opened fire at the divisional headquarters after blocking the roads leading in and out of the station, including the one close to the Local Government Area council headquarters.

Residents of the area said the sounds of the weapons the gunmen came with frightened them as they ran into bushes over fear of being hit by stray bullets and weapons.

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A resident of the area, who declined to be named, said: “These guys are mean. On arrival, they blocked the roads, threw their dynamite into the police station, and equally opened fire. They now waited to attack officers who ran out for safety.

“Unfortunately, two police constabularies by the name Ifeanyi and Iyke were killed. Ifeanyi was from Umunkwo in Umuguma community here. He was a final year student at Imo State University in Owerri. I knew him. It is just one year now he was recruited. He was trying to scale the fence when they used a machete and cut him. He was sliced. The young man died on the spot. This is very unfortunate.

“The second victim, Iyke was from Avu community. They shot him in one of his legs as he fled. He has been found dead now at a water stand where he possibly went to drink water. This is very unfortunate.”

Meanwhile, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Micheal Abattam, had yet to react to the latest attack in the state as of the time of filing this report.

The Star