An attack on a United States (US) convoy in southeast Nigeria has left four people dead.

According to local authorities, on Tuesday, 16 May, a convoy containing US Embassy staff members came under fire from an unknown number of assailants in the Anambra state.

During the attack, two Consulate personnel and two Police Mobile Force (PMF) officers were killed, with the attackers setting the bodies and vehicles alight. No US citizens were part of the convoy, claims John Kirby of the US National Security Council.

Although a quick-response security team was alerted, they arrived after the attackers had fled, and discovered that two other PMF officers and a driver had been kidnapped.

Nigeria’s security agencies are working closely with the US State Department to investigate the incident, which took place in a region that has become rife with separatist fighting. Initial reports place the blame on the Indigenous People of Biafra, which aims to reform the area into an independent nation.

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