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Gunmen opens fire on US embassy staff in Anambra, four reportedly killed

  Some staff of the United States Embassy in Nigeria have been shot dead as gunmen opened fire on their bus in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday. It…

 

Some staff of the United States Embassy in Nigeria have been shot dead as gunmen opened fire on their bus in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday.

It was gathered that the convoy of the embassy officials came under heavy attack as they were passing through the area.

A source said they were on humanitarian mission to the area while another source said the attacked officials wanted to connect their destination through Ogbaru.

“At least four persons were killed in the attack while others sustained injuries. Troops have taken over the community,” a security source told Daily Trust.

Details of the attack were not available as of the time of filing this report, but DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra, confirmed the incident.

However, he did not go into details.

“Following the information of the shooting incident within Ogbaru community, the Commissioner of Police CP Echeng Echeng has deployed a police team led by the deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations to arrest the situation.

“Meanwhile, the details of the incident are still sketchy, I will get back to you as soon as I can, please.”

Ikenga ceased subsequent communication with Daily Trust on the issue as he neither responded to calls or replied further messages.

The US mission Nigeria also confirmed the incident, saying its personnel were collaborating with Nigerian security operatives to get to the root of the matter.

“We confirm there was an incident on May 16 in Anambra state. U.S. Mission Nigeria personnel are working with Nigerian security services to investigate. The security of our personnel is always paramount, and we take extensive precautions when organizing trips to the field. We have no further comment at this time,” a US Mission Nigeria spokesperson said in response to Daily Trust inquiry.

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Published May 17, 2023
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