By Desire Emmanuel
Some gunmen suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Sunday invaded a church at a community in Anambra State, killed a person said to be the wife of the parish priest, set the church building, his residence and church vehicles ablaze.
The incident occurred at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Isiokwe in Lilu community of ihiala Local Government Area of the state in the early hours when the cleric was preparing for church service.
According to reports, during the attack, they killed a woman said to be the wife of the priest, injured others, set the church and the priest’s house ablaze, burnt down the church vehicles and other property belonging to it.
What led to the attack was yet to be ascertained as of the time of this report but it was gathered that after the gunmen carried out the attack and left, the police arrived to assess the situation.
Confirming the incident on Monday, December 8, the state police command described it as unfortunate, promising to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous act.
In a statement, the command said the act was not only an assault on the community, but also a grave affront to shared values of peace, sanctity of life and freedom of worship.
“This heinous and abominable act is not only an assault on the community, but also a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship.
“The command extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the entire Lilu community and assures the public that the police shall relentlessly hunt down the perpetrators of this crime.
“The CP notes that no community should be subjected to such brutality as the command will not allow criminals to instill fear or destabilise the peace we are working tirelessly to maintain.
“In view of the above, the command has already intensified intelligence-driven operations, deployed the Joint Security Team, and strengthened surveillance across the area.
“The operatives are following every lead as no resource will be spared in ensuring that those responsible are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law,” the command said.
