Obinna Uchendu
Abakalik
The Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday confirmed the killing of 3 policemen attached to Safer Highway along Ogoja/ Abakaliki Express road by Nwaezenyi junction while they were on stop and search.
in an interview with Newsmen in Abakaliki, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Loverth Odah who confirmed the incident said that the attackers disguised themselves as if they were on convoy going for a burial.
DSP Odah said that infront were 3 motorcycle and behind them were another 3 trycycle while two sienna buses followed them behind.
According to her; “on getting to the police checkpoint, they were stopped for a stop and search, immediately, they opened fire on the police officers, killing 2 officers who were close to the scene.
“Some of our personnel on patrol who were close to the scene on hearing the gunshots rushed to help their other colleagues not knowing that the KEKE NAPEP operators that passed them were among the persons that attacked the police officers”.
“The KEkE NAPEP occupants on getting to where the Police vehicle was parked with one Police Officer at the checkpoint shot and killed the Police Officer and set the Police vehicle that was parked there abalze. That made them three police officers we lost yesterday”.
“The other Police officers, we call them the men at sentry shot at them and we believe that they sustained gunshot injuries”.
She said that a Police team led by the Deputy Commissioner of police in Charge of Operations has been dispatched to the area on the spot assessment of what happened at the place adding that more details would be unvealed.
The Police Public Relations Officer PPRO also said that the command is linking the attack to the breakthrough the command recorded last week Thursday being the 8th of April 2021.
She said that on the said date, some Police Officers were at a checkpoint in Umuoghara in Ezza North Local Government Area of the State and through the bush some men opened fire on the police officers.
According to her; “But because of the smartness of the Police Officers, they returned the fire and shot at them demobilizing 2 out of the 7 attackers”.
She said that the arrested suspects are currently helping the police with useful information.
“We are still trying to know how to get at their collegues because according to them, they were 7 of them. 2 were shot at though they survived the bullet wounds” .
She called on members of the public to aveal the Police Command with useful information that would led to the arrest of other members of their gang. Ends.
