Unidentified gunmen, on Tuesday, killed at least seven Joint Task Force (JTF) operatives in an ambush at Umualumaku settlement in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo.
The incident occurred at about midday, when the operatives arrived at the spot and getting set to mount a checkpoint.
The deceased operatives comprised personnel from the Nigeria Army, Police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
An eyewitness account said that the assailants also set the two patrol vans belonging to the task force ablaze, together with the remains of the operatives.
“I heard gunshots for some minutes but didn’t know what was actually happening.
“Another driver told us that soldiers and policemen were killed and burnt in two Hilux Vans just a few meters ahead of us,” a commuter bus operator said.
He further said on the condition of anonymity that motorists, who were plying the route, immediately began to make U-turn and diverted to other roads.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident but pleaded for time to get the full details of the gruesome murder.
