The Imo State Police Command has said that it has launched manhunt for the killers of its five operatives and a couple at Okpala junction in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the State.
Gunmen had on Friday opened fire on five policemen who went to eat at a local restaurant, killing all of them and carted away their riffles.
The gunmen also killed a couple identified as Mr and Mrs Chinaka Nwagu who owned a shop beside the location of the crime
Confirming the gruesome murder to our Correspondent, the spokesperson for the Police in the State, Henry Okoye, stressed that the Command's Tactical and Operational Teams had been deployed to the area.
He highlighted that the Command was on the trail of the suspects, adding that security had also been beefed up in the area to increase public confidence.
According to him, "The murder incident is confirmed. The Command has deployed Tactical and Operational Teams of the Command to the area for constant patrol and in search of those behind this dastardly act. We are closing in on them.
"The corpses of the operatives have been evacuated and deposited in a morgue. I urge members of the public to go about their lawful businesses without fear and or intimidation as the Command is capable of protecting the people of the state."
LEADERSHIP reports that the incident threw the junction and the entire community into a state of palpable tension as commercial activities abruptly came to standstill.
A source who identified himself as Uche and a relative to the couple stated that the slain cops drove from neighbouring Aboh Mbaise Police Division to eat at the junction.
He narrated that while the policemen were eating, some gunmen drove to the scene and opened fire on them.
He said that while three policemen were shot dead at the scene, two others ran to a nearby shop but their attackers trailed them to the shop and killed them and equally killed the couple who owned the shop.
The eyewitness disclosed that after killing the policemen, the gunmen carted away their riffles.
