Gunmen numbering over 20 launched a deadly assault on a police checkpoint at the Obehie boundary between Abia and Rivers States in the early hours of Thursday, leaving two operatives of the Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) dead.

 

According to a police report cited by SaharaReporters, the assailants arrived around 1:20 a.m. in three SUVs concealed behind long trucks and opened fire on CTU personnel stationed at a sandbag checkpoint.

 

“The CTU Commander, Base 24 Aba, reported that today at about 0120hrs, armed men suspected to be militants numbering over twenty (20) in three SUVs concealed behind long trucks with sophisticated weapons attacked his men who were in their buffer sand bags at Obehie nipping point,” the report stated.

 

The slain officers were identified as Inspector Ishaya Audu and Inspector Anthony Emmanuel. Their service rifles were reportedly carted away by the attackers, while the vehicles used by the gunmen were riddled with bullets during the exchange.

 

The attackers, suspected to be heavily armed militants, were said to have employed sophisticated weapons in the assault, raising concerns about rising security threats along border communities.

 

This latest incident underscores the growing dangers faced by security operatives in volatile regions and highlights the urgent need for reinforced security measures along inter-state boundaries.