- The armed men started shooting sporadically in an attempt to escape when Police were alerted of their evil plan in the area
The State Police Command has refuted a protest video that circulated claiming that the recent killings at Ifite-Awka, which resulted in the deaths of three Hausas and two others by suspected kidnappers on Thursday afternoon, had ethnic or regional overtones in light of the ongoing killings in the area of Awka, the capital city of Anambra.
A statement signed by SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the State Police Public Relations Officer, and provided to journalists in Awka on Friday contained the refuted facts.
As per Ikenga, the command “today, October 25, 2024, intercepted a protest film on the terrible incident that happened at Ifite Awka yesterday, October 24, 2024, which captured the murder of five persons and three others gravely injured and wishes to state that it is not targeted to any ethnic or religious group.
“To set the records straight, preliminary information reveals that the armed men started shooting sporadically in an attempt to escape when Police were alerted of their evil plan in the area.
“The Command not wanting to join issues with anyone or group remains committed to the ongoing operational patrols, improved security dominance and surveillance targeted to enhance safety and nip to the board of such or any related incident in the State.
“While we commiserate with the families and friends of the victims assure that unlike other incidents recorded in the past and some of the miscreants involved were arrested and justice served, will not rest until the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to book,” the PPRO assured.