Incident Summary:

09/14/2017: Assailants set fire to a police station and attacked officers at a market in Aba, Abia, Nigeria. One police officer was killed and the station sustained serious damage. No group claimed responsibility for the incident; however, sources attributed the attack to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

GTD ID:
201709140024

When:
2017-09-14

Country:
Nigeria

Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Abia

City:
Aba

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Facility/Infrastructure Attack
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity Abia State Police
Specific Description Divisional Police Headquarters
Nationality of Target Nigeria
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Minor (likely < $1 million)
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Incendiary Molotov Cocktail/Petrol Bomb
Weapon Details
Petrol bombs were used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information The victims included officer ASP Cyril Nwosu.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators Unknown
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 1 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 1
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Nigerian separatists charged with murder," The Guardian Online, September 18, 2017.
"Nigerian police arrest 59 members of Biafra separatist group," Premium Times, September 17, 2017.
"Abia Chaos: How Suspected IPOB Members Razed Aba Police Station," Sahel Standard, September 15, 2017.