Insecurity: 18 police officers murdered across Nigeria last week

No fewer than 18 police officers were killed in separate attacks across Nigeria last week, prolonging a trend of targeted attacks on Nigerian security officials.

The targeted murders and damage of police facilities started several weeks ago, mostly in the South-east and South-south regions and have since continued unabated; with experts saying these could deteriorate the already disastrous security situation across the country.

The attacks in the two regions are different from the Boko Haram revolt in the North-east. Also, as part of the general insecurity across the country, several states in Nigeria have been struggling with kidnapping for ransom, banditry, frequent clashes between farmers and herders, and inter-communal conflicts.

Due to the regular attacks on security outfits in the South-east, the governors and heads of security agencies in the five states in the region have held a meeting on security where they agreed to create a group outfit to examine the insecurity in the region.

IPOB, an unlawful secessionist group, and its security network, ESN, has been indicted of being responsible for some of the attacks against the police in the South-east, but the group has denied any involvement.

Here are some of the attacks on security officials in the past week.

Five killed, one missing in Imo

On Monday, gunmen attacked a police station in Ehime Mbano, Okigwe South Local Government Area of Imo State where they killed five officers while one officer is said to be missing.

The armed bandits also burnt the police building, the spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed.

This happened two days after gunmen invaded the country home of the state governor, Hope Uzodinma, in Omuma, Oru East Local Government Area of the state.

During the attack, they burnt part of the building and razed some vehicles in the compound, killing at least a security official.

Imo State has suffered more attacks in the two regions than any other state.

Two police officers killed in Akwa-Ibom

Gunmen in Ika Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, on Tuesday shot dead a female police officer .

The police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, who confirmed the killing, identified the slain police officer as Esther Akpan, a police corporal.

She was murdered alongside a police special constabulary, Isonuyo Paul.

A patrol vehicle belonging to the local police station was set ablaze by the gunmen, the police spokesperson said.

The police added that they had undertaken an investigation into the attack.

Apart from Ika, there have been similar attacks on police and soldiers in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

Nine police officers, two vigilantes killed in Kebbi

Suspected bandits attacked and killed a divisional police officer and eight other officers on Sunday in Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

Two vigilante members were also killed by the bandits in the incident.

The police spokesperson in Kebbi, Nafi’u Abubakar, stated that the officers responded to distress calls following the attack on Sunday night.

Mr Abubakar said the bandits launched the attack at Makuku and surrounding villages in the Sakaba council area.

Sakaba Local Government Area had witnessed attacks by bandits in Kunduru, Bajida and Rafin Gora where the gunmen reportedly rustled some livestock. It shares a boundary with the troubled Zamfara and Niger states.

Another police attack in Abia

On Wednesday, armed men who were suspected to be members of the ESN, on Wednesday, ambushed a police station in Abia State.

The police corroborated the attack in a statement issued on Thursday in Umuahia, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Though there were no fatalities, the police spokesperson in the state, Geoffrey Ogbonna, said the attack happened at Nkporo Police Station in Ohafia Local Government Area of the state.

He accused “common criminals” whom he said were repelled by the police operatives at the station.

He noted that the criminals, suspected to have been hiding around the station, took advantage of the morning rainfall to attack the station.

They threw an explosive at the charge room which caused damage to the counter, chairs and benches therein.

“They burnt one unworkable police motorcycle outside, broke the wind shield of the patrol van and stole two exhibit motorcycles,” Mr Ogbonna, a superintendent of police, said in the statement

A similar attack was carried out on Uzuakoli Police Station in Bende Local Government Area of the state on April 10.

Another two in Akwa Ibom

Another two police officers were killed on Saturday by some unknown gunmen who attacked a police facility in Ikono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

A female police officer was also injured in the attack, while five vehicles parked at the station’s premises were set ablaze, according to a statement from the Chairman of Ikono council, Nyakno Okoibu.

The statement published by the chairman’s media aide, Nsisong Ntuk, said the attack occurred at about 3 a.m.

The statement said members of the ESN were suspected to be behind the attack.

The statement said members of the ESN were suspected to be behind the attack.

Security Experts Speak

A security analyst, Timothy Avele, stated that the attacks on police personnel will lead to a rise in crime in the country.

“It’s sad and unfortunate that security personnel are now endangered species by been killed like flies.

“First, this will result in more violent crimes like kidnapping, murder, armed robberies etc as the security personnel, especially the police, will feel less concerned to respond to distress calls from the public,” he said.

“Secondly, there will be transferred aggression from the security personnel to the citizens; no more police is your friend slogan in practice.

“On the other hand, the police not responding to distresses of the public and being cruel to citizens due to the unprovoked attacks on them could result in missing out on criminal information normally shared with them by the public,” Mr Avele stated.

Another security expert, Jonathan Mba, however, says the police should share the blame for the attacks.

He said they do not have the required training to gather information ahead of any attack. He also blamed the government for not playing its role in the training of the personnel.

“What kind of training do the police possess? What is their understanding about civil policing with regards to public relations? How well are they kitted to guarantee their safety?

“What is the level of intelligence gathered within the host community they find themselves? All these add up in helping the police understand how to repel attacks from criminals or aggrieved citizens,” he said.

Mr Mba noted that interactions between the police and their host communities should be encouraged.