Some policemen were killed on Sunday when gunmen attacked the convoy of Ifeanyi Ubah, the senator representing the Anambra South District in the Nigerian Senate.

The senator’s convoy was attacked in Enugwu-Ukwu, a community in the Njikoka Local Government Area of ​​Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria.

The gunmen were said to have ambushed and opened fire on the convoy, killing an as yet unconfirmed number of police officers attached to the legislator.

A source said police officers in the convoy initially engaged the gunmen in a shootout during which three of the officers were killed.

A second account said that seven of the officers were shot to death by the thugs during the shootout.

The senator, Mr. Ubah, reportedly escaped the attack but was injured.

“Some of his aides were killed, including some policemen. The senator managed to escape as his car was riddled with bullets,” a witness said.

“I was driving towards that location from the expressway link road when some people in a store yelled at me and asked me to turn around and take another route, which I did,” the witness added.

There is speculation that what happened was an assassination attempt.

Contacted, state police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the attack on the senator’s convoy.

“Yes. There was an attack in Enugwu-Ukwu today, but the number of casualties is not clear,” he said.

Ikenga said state police commissioner Echeng Echeng led officers to the scene of the attack.

He said details of the attack were still sketchy.

“Police officers are on the ground there while operations are taking place. The situation is being monitored,” the police spokesman said.

Mr Ubah is a member of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).

He was a YPP candidate for Governor in the 2021 Anambra State Governor election, which was won by the incumbent Governor, Charles Soludo of the All Progressive Grand Alliance.

Anambra, like other southeastern states, has seen several attacks by gunmen.

A state legislator was recently kidnapped and later killed in the state.

The Nigerian government has blamed the attacks on a separatist group, IPOB.