Unknown gunmen have killed three members of a local vigilante group and a teenager in Afor Umuaka in the Njaba area of Imo State.
The Next Editon learnt that the gunmen ambushed the vehicle belonging to the local vigilante group on Sunday evening while they were on security patrol within the community.
According to Sahara Reporters, an eyewitness said the assailants set up an ambush and began shooting sporadically at the security personnel, while a stray bullet struck the teenager, who died on the spot.
The source said, “The gunmen overtook the community security Toyota Sienna the security men were patrolling with and shot them dead.”
Confirming the incident, the state police command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said a tactical squad had been deployed to hunt down the gunmen.
According to him, the state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident and vowed that the command would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators were arrested and brought to justice.
He said Danjuma empathized with the families of the deceased victims and prayed for the repose of their souls.
He said, “The Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the attack and gruesome murder of the vigilante personnel of the Umuaka Autonomous Community by gunmen on Sunday evening, 7/07/2024.
“In the wake of the tragic incident that claimed the lives of three gallant vigilantes who were on routine crime prevention patrol and a passerby, the Commissioner of Police has deployed the Command’s Tactical Squad with the available operational resources to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the dastardly act.”
