There was tension at Okpala junction in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State as some yet-to-be- identified gunmen ambushed some policemen while eating.
The incident, which happened on Friday morning, claimed the lives of five policemen and a couple, identified as Mr and Mrs Chinaka Nwagu.
NIGERIACRIME learnt that the deceased couple were from the Amankwo Okpala community in the state.
The incident has thrown the junction and the entire community into a state of panic as commercial activities had abruptly come to end.
According to a source, who spoke anonymously, “The dead officers traveled from the nearby Abo Mbaise police division to eat at the junction.”
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He said that while the policemen were eating, some gunmen drove to the scene and opened fire on them.
He claimed that while three police officers were slain at the spot, two others who fled were killed alongside a couple at a shop where they ran for cover.
“The shop belonged to the couple.
“The attackers took away five riffles after killing the police officers.
“This is very regrettable. Our neighborhood is in pain. Everyone is perplexed. About a year ago, the couple moved from Lagos. The market has closed. Out of shock and panic, people have fled. I can’t believe this,” he lamented.
A community source, Emeka Ndukwu, who claimed to have driven via the Owerri-Aba Road, said he saw the dead bodies of the police officers.
Ndukwu remarked, “This is awful. As we passed by, the five policemen’s bodies were on the road. At the crossroads, their Hilux was also parked. It was an awful scene. This is awful. God be merciful.”
Contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, said that he had yet to be briefed on murder incident.
He however promised to make enquiries and revert but he had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.