Eight security operatives were killed in Rivers State between late Saturday and Sunday morning in what was suspected to be reprisal attacks by the Eastern Security Network, ESN, the armed wing of Biafra Secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
IPOB had threatened retaliation for the killing of Ikonso Commander, said to be the leader of ESN and six other fighters of the group by a combined team of security operatives in neighbouring Imo State early Saturday morning.
Hours after the threat, it was learnt that the gunmen went on rampage in Rivers during which they killed, in the most gruesome manner, eight security personnel at different security check points along Omagwa to Elele road in the State.
Our correspondent gathered from a reliable security sources that out of the eight personnel killed, three of them were personnel of the Air Force, three were custom officers while the other two were police officers.
It was learnt that the gunmen killed the two policemen at a Joint Task Force checkpoint at Airport road in Omagwa, Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State.
They also carted away their rifles while their operational vehicle was burnt.
Omagwa is the host Community of the Port Harcourt International Airport.
It was also learnt that at Isiokpo in the headquarters the Local Government Area, the gunmen attacked a customs checkpoint.
They butchered and beheaded the gunmen before escaping with their operational vehicles and their rifles.
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It was also gathered gunmen also tried to burn down the Isiokpo Divisional Police Station but officers were repelled by the officers on duty who were on red alert before they invaded the station.
The Spokesman of the Rivers Police Command,SP Nnamdi Omoni,had no responded to the latest attack at the time of filing this report and was yet to respond to enquires.