At least three policemen were shot dead and another wounded on Saturday night when gunmen attacked security officers at a checkpoint along the Enugu/Abakaliki highway.
The gunmen, who arrived in two Toyota Sienna vehicles, reportedly opened fire as they reached the checkpoint, killing three policemen on the spot.
Another police officer who was shot in the leg is said to be receiving treatment at a hospital in the ebony state capital.
The incident took place on Saturday night at the checkpoint located on the highway between Enugu and Ebonyi states.
Ebonyi police spokesman Chris Anyanwu confirmed the incident.
He said the thugs were operating out of two Sienna vehicles.
“Yesterday’s attack by unknown gunmen on the Ebonyi/Enugu border took place at around 6:08 p.m.
“Three police officers from Operation Safer Highway, mortally wounded. Later confirmed dead.
“The thugs operated in two Sienna vehicles, entered the checkpoint and opened fire on the police officers,” he said in a statement.
Saturday’s attack is the latest in a series of deadly attacks against police and other security agencies in the southeast.
Gunmen have been unleashing terror in Ebonyi and other southeastern states in recent years, attacking civilians, security officers and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
READ ALSO: Gunmen kill three policemen in southeastern Nigeria
Last December, gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in Abakaliki, killing a police officer. The gunmen stormed the checkpoint on a motorcycle on December 5, 2022 and opened fire on the police officers.
A week earlier, suspected arsonists set fire to the INEC office in Iboko. Iboko is a community in the Izzi Local Government Area of the state.
The federal government accused the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.
But the group has repeatedly denied any involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra that it wants to separate from the southeast and some parts of south-south Nigeria.
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