ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — 4 security officials were killed in a automobile bomb targeting a former government official in southeast Nigeria, authorities said Tuesday.
Three law enforcement officials and a paramilitary official were killed within the attack in Imo State on a convoy carrying the previous governor Ikedi Ohakim, Police Commissioner Mohammed Barde said.
“The person (Ohakim) was ambushed and he was in a position to maneuver and escape,” said Barde. The 4 security personnel were killed in a special automobile, he said. The attack was an unlucky setback to government efforts to revive peace in a few of Nigeria’s conflict-ridden southeastern states, said Barde.
Southeast Nigeria has experienced an increase in violent attacks lately, often blamed on separatists attempting to break away from the West African nation to form an independent country. The separatists who discover themselves because the Indigenous People of Biafra have develop into more violent amid calls for a referendum. Their attacks often goal outstanding people and security forces within the southeast, say conflict experts.
A manhunt to arrest the assailants has begun, said authorities.
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The attack has raised fears amongst local residents who’re concerned that security will likely be threatened in the world through the country’s presidential elections in February.
The violence comes months after an ambush on a lawmaker within the southeastern Anambra State which killed 4 law enforcement officials in September. After that incident last 12 months, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said he’s “deeply concerned” concerning the troubled region.
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