Four people were killed and two others were kidnapped in an attack on a convoy of US Consulate staff in Anambra State, Nigeria, on Tuesday.
The attack took place along Atani, Osamale Road in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state at about 3:30 p.m. local time.
The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Tobechukwu Ikenga, said the gunmen opened fire on the convoy, killing two Police Mobile Force (PMF) operatives and two staff of the US Consulate.
Ikenga said the gunmen also set the bodies and vehicles of the victims on fire.
He said the gunmen abducted two Police operatives and the driver of the second vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Ikenga said no US citizen was in the convoy at the time of the attack.
The US National Security Council Spokesperson, John Kirby, confirmed the attack and said no American citizen was injured.
Kirby said the attack was “a senseless act of violence” and that the US government was “closely monitoring the situation”.
The attack is the latest in a series of violence in Anambra State.
In recent months, there have been a number of targeted attacks on security and government facilities and high-profile people or organizations in the state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but security agencies have blamed them on armed groups operating in the state.
The attacks have raised concerns about the security situation in Anambra State and the wider region.
Security agencies have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and to restore peace and security to the state.
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