Police Officer Killed As Gunmen Attack Anambra Community

Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have reportedly killed an officer of the Nigeria Police Force and two other civilians in a recent attack in Nnewi, Anambra State.

The assailants are said to have engaged the security operatives in a shootout on Monday while driving a red Highlander jeep.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Police Public Relations Officer for Anambra Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, revealed that the criminals were pursued by the police after kidnapping a person in Nnewi.

“During the gun duel, one of the security Operatives was fatally hit by the bullet and due to the indiscriminate shootings by the hoodlums in an attempt to escape the scene, the bullet also fatally struck two innocent passersby in the area.

“The Police Responding Team at the scene recovered the bodies of the victims and took them to the hospital but regrettably, three of the victims, including a 22-year-old lady, were confirmed dead by the doctors on duty while two others are currently receiving treatment,” Ikenga noted in the statement.

Reacting, the state Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Itam, described the killers as “cowards who have murdered sleep.”

The police boss expressed his sympathy with the families of the deceased, and vowed to get justice for the “heroic act of the murdered vigilantes operative and unsuspecting members at the scene.”

The police commissioner also urged members of the public, especially eyewitnesses, to assist security operatives with information on the ongoing onslaught operation.