Three dead after gunmen bomb council headquarters in Anambra

On Thursday, gunmen attacked the administrative center of the Ihiala Local Government Area in Anambra State, southeast Nigeria, and killed three vigilantes in the process.

The incident took place at about 2 a.m.

According to reports, the gunmen threw improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the council headquarters, causing property damage and the deaths of security personnel.

This newspaper was informed by local sources that the IEDs leveled a number of secretariat buildings.

“They (gunmen) also beheaded one of the vigilante people after killing them,” a source, who asked not to be named, said.

Tochukwu Ikenga, the Anambra State police spokesperson, confirmed the event in a statement on Thursday.

According to Mr. Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, police officers responded to a distress call at 2:55 a.m. and entered the area.

He claimed that when the vigilante operations arrived, the shooters had already killed the three of them and beheaded one of them.

He claimed that the gunmen used IEDs and some petrol bombs to set fire to five of the secretariat's buildings.

According to sources in the neighborhood, the administrative block of the council's offices, a primary healthcare facility, and an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission were among the impacted structures.

Others include the National Youth Service Corps office, an office for education, and a National Civil Defense office.

The police official stated that "one of the attackers was neutralized" and added that the agents' presence stopped the criminals from doing more harm.

When the operatives confronted the gunmen, according to Mr. Ikenga, several of them fled the scene wounded by bullets.

“The bodies of the victims were recovered and joint operations are still ongoing,” he said.

The goods seized from the militants during the operation included two locally constructed IED launchers, seven undetonated IEDs, 40 live cartridges, 15 live 7.62 MM AK-47 rounds, knives, and charms, according to the police.