2023-05-16 23:32:22
Gunmen attacked an American convoy on Tuesday, May 16, in southeastern Nigeria, killing four non-Americans and kidnapping three others. “No American citizen was in the convoy”said a spokesman for the Nigerian police, Ikenga Tochukwu, which was confirmed by John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council of the White House.
The armed men “killed two police mobile force officers and two consulate employees” American before setting fire to their vehicle, according to Mr. Tochukwu. The attack took place at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Ogbaru district, Anambra state, police said. Security forces were deployed to the scene but the gunmen managed to kidnap two police officers and a driver, Tochukwu said. A “rescue and recovery operation” was underway Tuesday evening, he added in a statement.
John Kirby confirmed the attack during a press briefing in Washington. “An American convoy of several vehicles was attacked. What I can tell you is that no American citizen is affected”said the spokesperson.
The US State Department, for its part, assured that the diplomatic personnel of the United States in Nigeria were ” at work “ with the Nigerian security services to carry out the investigations. “The safety of our staff is always essential and we take extreme precautions when organizing field trips”insisted a spokesman for the State Department.
Security challenge
Several separatist groups are active in this southeastern region and have recently stepped up their attacks, usually targeting police and government buildings. The Nigerian authorities attribute these attacks to the Indigenous Peoples Movement of Biafra (IPOB), which they consider a terrorist group, just like its armed wing the Eastern Security Network.
The IPOB has repeatedly denied any involvement in the violence. Separatism is a sensitive issue in Nigeria, where an attempted secession from Biafra in 1967, led by army officers, sparked three years of civil war that claimed more than a million lives.
IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu is currently in custody and is due to appear on charges of treason following being detained overseas and then deported back to Nigeria. The violence is one of many security challenges facing President-elect Bola Tinubu when he takes over as leader of Africa’s most populous country later in May. In addition to separatist tensions in the Southeast, Nigeria’s military must fight jihadists in the Northeast.
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