Police confirms killing of 3 security personnel by unknown gunmen at check points in Rivers State
By Amaka Agbu
The Rivers State Police has confirmed the killing of three security personnel by yet to be identified gunmen along the Omagwa/Isiokpo/Elele Owerri Road in Ikwerre local government area of the state around 12.00 midnight.
In a very sketchy preliminary report released Sunday afternoon, the police was not specific on the arm of security departments the victims belonged, although information gathered claimed they were customs officials.
The armed men were said to have arrived the area, opened fire on the operatives and destroyed the checkpoint and other properties in the vicinity.
Sources close to the scene of the incident claimed that some unknown gunmen stormed the customs check point and engaged in heavy shooting after which 3 customs officials were killed and properties running into millions were destroyed.
According to the source, OSPAC, the fiery vigilante group in the area, on hearing the shootings swung into action but arrived the scene late to prevent the incident.
Some residents in Port Harcourt who heard the heavy shooting said they scampered into available spaces in their homes to avoid stray bullets.
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One of the residents who gave his name as “Friday Dunu, said: “I heard heavy shootings around 12 midnight breaking into Sunday but could not figure out the direction. We had to hide until the shootings were over.”
According to the police statement issued by the Rivers State Command spokesman, SP Nnamdi Omoni, the state Commissioner of police, Friday Eboka, “has launched a full scale Investigation into the dastardly attack with a view to arresting the perpetrators and bringing them to justice.”
He said that calm had returned to the area and the entire state with reinforced and increased joint patrols of that stretch and other areas in the state by the security agencies, adding that there was no cause for alarm.
