Gunmen set Bende police station Abia on fire, free detainees

Gunmen, numbering more than 100, on Wednesday, set Bende Divisional Police Station in Abia on fire and left two operatives with gunshot wounds.

Eyewitness account said the hoodlums set the station on fire at about 11 pm .

“We heard a cacophony of gunshots around 10.45 pm and when we rushed outside, we saw the station on fire.

“At that point, it dawned on us that the station was under attack so everybody began to scamper for safety,” the eyewitness said on the condition of anonymity.

The Spokesman of the state command, SP Godfrey Ogbonna, who confirmed the attack in Umuahia on Thursday, said the operatives were shot in the leg and that the attackers also burnt down the generator house and a multi-purpose building, belonging to Bende Local Government.

Ogbonna said the hoodlums later released criminal suspects, who were detained at the station.

“They also burnt two vehicles, including the Divisional Police Officer’s Highlander Jeep, and three motorcycles, parked at the station,” he said.

However, he said it was not clear how the bandits arrived at the place in their numbers.

“We do not know yet how they all gathered to execute the attack at the station.

“Maybe they parked their vehicles away from their target and walked through footpaths to the place,” he said.

Ogbonna revealed that the command had embarked on full investigations into the incident and other recent gunmen attacks in different parts of the state.

The police station is located at the main entrance to Bende council headquarters.

Recall that gunmen recently embarked on serial attacks on government facilities in Abia, including police formations and the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) leaving many operatives dead with many others sustaining gunshot wounds.