Men suspected to be militants on Monday evening invaded Police Marine Base in Oron, Akwa Ibom State and stole arms and ammunition worth millions of naira.
A top police officer, who pleaded anonymity told reporters in Uyo that the militants had easy access to the station as there was no resistant from policemen.
He explained that from the information available to him, the officers who ought to be on duty were either attending to their personal matters or in boats, cruising on the ocean.
The source added that 11 officers, who were supposed to be on duty at the time of the invasion, had been detained at the state police headquarters for interrogation.
He said: “The officers have been arrested and are presently being detained. I thought the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) had briefed you journalists on the matter.”
However, when contacted on phone, the PPRO, Mr. Etim Dickson, confirmed that the base was attacked and ammunition were stolen.
Dickson said that the police and other security agencies were working round the clock to arrest the fleeing criminals.
He said: “Well, honestly we are looking into the matter. It is not true that they carted away all our ammunition; though we lost one or two arms.
“It is unfortunate that we had that encounter. But we are looking into it. Our men are combing the entire area at the moment with the support of other security agencies.”
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