Gunmen on Saturday, May 20 shot dead two policemen at a checkpoint at Okpala Junction in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.
Unofficial sources put the number of cops killed by the gunmen at seven but the police authorities said there were only two.
Reports said the gunmen on arrival opened fire on the policemen.
According to a source, “About seven policemen at a checkpoint along Aba Road, Okpala were gunned down by unknown gunmen this morning.
“Police have stationed a massive checkpoint now at Okpala Junction. It is very unfortunate.”
But the police spokesman for the command, Henry Okoye, said that only two policemen “paid the supreme price.”
Okoye told a correspondent on telephone that the gunmen were engaged in a gun duel by “the vigilant policemen on duty.”
According to him, the gunmen abandoned one of their operational vehicles, adding that the vehicle which was splashed with blood stains had been recovered by the police.
Okoye said that the operatives of the command had taken over the area with a view to instilling confidence in the residents of the area and apprehending the suspects.
Recall that gunmen killed five policemen and a couple at the same Okpala Junction in April this year.
Also in March, this year, gunmen also killed five officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps at the same Ngor Okpala LGA of the state.
