Two policemen have been shot dead at a checkpoint at Okpala Junction in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.
The incident, which happened on Saturday, unsettled the community as many residents fled their homes and business places.
While the police confirmed that two policemen were killed, some residents said seven cops were shot dead during the attack.
A source said, “About seven policemen at a checkpoint along Aba Road, Okpala, were gunned down by unknown gunmen early this morning.
“The police have stationed a massive checkpoint now at Okpala Junction. It is very unfortunate.”
However, the police spokesman for the command, Henry Okoye, said two policemen “paid the supreme prize.”
He told our correspondent in a telephone conversation that the gunmen were engaged in a gun duel by “the vigilant policemen on duty”.
According to him, the gunmen abandoned one of their operational vehicles which they came in, adding that the vehicle, which contained bloodstains, had been recovered by the police.
Okoye said operatives of the command had taken over the area with a view of instilling confidence in the minds of residents and apprehending the suspects.
In April, gunmen ambushed and killed five policemen and a couple at the same Okpala Junction located along the Owerri-Aba Road.
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