Four killed in gunman attack on US convoy in Nigeria

Gunmen attacked a US consulate convoy in southeastern Nigeria, killing four people and kidnapping three others, but no US citizens were among the dead, official sources said.

“There was no US citizen in the motorcade,” Nigerian police spokesman Ikega Totsuku said. The information was confirmed by John Kirby, the representative of the National Security Council of the American presidency.

The gunmen killed two police officers guarding the motorcade and “two US consulate officials” before setting fire to the vehicle they were riding in, Totsuku said.

The attack was committed yesterday Tuesday at 15:30 [σ.σ. τοπική ώρα· στις 17:30 ώρα Ελλάδας] in Ogbaru District, Anambra State, the Nigerian Police said.

Security forces rushed to the scene of the attack, but the gunmen kidnapped two police officers and a driver, according to Totsukou.

“Rescue Operation”

A “rescue operation” was underway last night, the Nigerian police spokesman added.

John Kirby confirmed the attack during a briefing of accredited editors at the US presidency. “American convoy attacked. What I can tell you is that (…) no American citizen was harmed,” the spokesman said.

The State Department, for its part, noted that US diplomatic personnel in Nigeria are cooperating with the security forces of the African country in the context of the investigation.

“The safety of our personnel is always of the utmost importance, and we take extraordinary precautions when arranging travel in the field,” a US State Department spokesman said.

Various separatist groups operate in southeastern Nigeria and have recently increased their attacks, often targeting police and government buildings.

Nigerian authorities attribute these attacks mainly to the Movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), which they describe as a “terrorist” organization, as well as its military arm, the Eastern Security Network.

IPOB has repeatedly denied any involvement in violence.

Separatist action is a highly sensitive issue in Nigeria, where a 1967 secession attempt in Biafra led by army officers sparked a three-year civil war that left more than a million dead.

The leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently in prison and is expected to stand trial on charges of high treason after he was arrested abroad and transferred to Nigeria.

Violence in various regions is among the many security challenges Nigeria’s president-elect, Bola Tinubu, will face after he takes office later this month in Africa’s most populous country.

Nigeria’s military is facing jihadist groups in northeastern sectors of the country, separatist groups in the southeast, as well as gang activity and conflicts between herdsmen and farmers in central states.