Two security personnel and five others were killed when unknown gunmen stormed a funeral preparation location in Anambra State’s Ihiala Local Government Area on Monday, December 30, 2024.
The spokesperson for the Anambra State Police, Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement that the event happened at approximately 11:20 a.m.
According to photos included with the police statement, among the victims were members of the Anambra State Vigilante Group.
After allegedly reaching the location, the assailants started shooting intermittently at the people inside.
As the gunmen fled, they shot two security personnel who were at an observation post near the Ihiala Local Government Headquarters on the expressway.
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Seven people died in all, including two unarmed bystanders. One victim, who is now being treated at an unidentified hospital, was successfully rescued by a joint security team.
A manhunt for the offenders has been launched immediately by Nnaghe Obono, the commissioner of police for Anambra State. In addition to offering his sympathies to the victims’ families, he pledged to see justice done.
Gunmen have attacked people, government officials, and security services in a string of violent episodes in Anambra and other southeastern states, including this most recent one.