There was a gun battle around a church in Anambra – Assemblies of God Church, Oguta road Onitsha – on Sunday, leaving one policeman and another person dead. This gun battle comes seven days after a gunman opened fire on worshippers at St Philip Catholic Church, Ozubulu in the state.
Laat Sunday’s attack left at least 12 dead and at least 18 others injured.
An eyewitnesses, speaking to PUNCH on the latest attack said the gunmen had momentarily stopped at the church, but on sighting some policemen at the church, opened fire on them.
“When the firing became too hot, the policemen abandoned their patrol vehicle and ran away for safety. The gunmen moved to their patrol van and took a gun belonging to the policeman they killed. I saw two of the gunmen but I can’t say how many they are in number,” the source said.
Another source, who claimed to have seen want happened said:
“Gunmen on Okada (motorcycle) shot a policeman and collected his rifle. They also shot dead an Okada man while escaping, and the passenger he was carrying was injured. The policeman was the one armed among his colleagues; they were providing security while church service was going on at Assemblies of God Church, Oguta road Onitsha.”
Garba Umar, the Anambra State Commissioner of Police who confirmed the incident said it wasn’t an attack on the church.
“My men were on patrol near the church when they were attacked by some gunmen. It was not an attack on the church, in the real sense of it,” Umar said, adding that the gunmen took the slain officers rifle.
