By Chinagorom Ugwu
A female detainee has been killed by gunmen who attacked the facility of the Police Rapid Response Squad in Abia State, South-east Nigeria.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Danladi Isa, confirmed the development while parading crime suspects at police headquarters.
A video clip which showed the commissioner confirming the incident was uploaded on Facebook on Thursday.
The attack happened about one week ago.
Isa said the gunmen attempted to free some detainees in the police facility. The attackers invaded the facility in three Toyota pickup trucks around midnight and began shooting.
“Our personnel successfully repelled the attack, but the assailants used dynamite to blow off our roof. In their attempt to free detainees, they opened fire, tragically causing the death of a female suspect,” he said.
Isa said after the attack, the police in the state employed technical tracking methods and arrested one of the suspects.
Like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, security has deteriorated in Abia State with frequent attacks by armed assailants.
The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.
The Nigerian government has accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region. However, the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.
