Two employees of the US Embassy in Nigeria were shot dead together with two cops traveling in a convoy and three others were kidnapped, police in the volatile West African country said on Tuesday.
The group was on a humanitarian mission when it was attacked in the Ogbaru local government area in Anambra state, one among the epicenters separatist violence in the region, said Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for Anambra police.
Ikenga said no U.S. residents were on the trip.
“We confirm that there was an incident in Anambra state on May 16. Nigerian Mission personnel are working with Nigerian security forces to research the matter.” a US Department of State the spokesman said.
“The security of our staff is all the time paramount and we take extensive precautions when arranging field trips. Now we have no further comments at the moment.”
The small print of the attack haven’t been disclosed.
A joint security team was sent to the scene, arriving only after the attackers fled with two other cops and one among the drivers, Ikenga added.
![Map of Africa](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011214281.jpg?w=1024)
“The scammers murdered two mobile cops and two consulate employees, then set fire to their bodies and vehicles,” Ikenga said.
It is just not immediately clear what the character of the trip the US embassy staff in Anambra embarked on was, nor what number of were in the convoy.
Ikenga said it was regrettable that “a convoy of such or related individuals will enter the state without recourse to the world police or any security agency.”
The attack in Atani Town, 37 miles from the state capital, has further raised concerns for the protection of residents and travelers amid separatist violence that has been rampant in Nigeria’s southeastern region in recent years.
Nigeria has seen a variety of deadly attacks on distant communities in recent months.
On Tuesday, gunmen attacked villages in the troubled north-central region, killing 29 people and destroys houses and survivors.
Gunmen attacked three villages in the Mangu local government area in Plateau state late Monday night and killed several people by shooting or setting fire to their homes, one resident said.
In April, 50 people died in two separate attacks which authorities imagine are linked.