Gunmen attack US convoy in southeast Nigeria; 2 policemen, 2 consulate staffers killed

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Police in Nigeria say two police officers and two local staffers of the U.S. Embassy were on Tuesday killed by gunmen when their convoy was attacked in the country’s southeastern region. The assailants also abducted two other police officers before security forces arrived at the scene, said Tochukwu Ikenga, police spokesman in Anambra. U.S. State Department said its personnel in Nigeria are working with the nation’s security services to investigate Tuesday’s attack. The attack in Atani town, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the state capital, further raised concerns about the safety of residents and travelers amid the separatist violence that has become rampant in Nigeria’s southeastern region in recent years.