UPDATE: POLICE BEGIN INVESTIGATION AS GUNMEN KILL OFFICER IN ABIA ATTACK
On Sunday night, while on official duty, two Abia State Police Command officers, Inspectors Dunna Jatau and Bala Mohammed, were ambushed by armed attackers.
After dropping off House of Representatives member Ginger Onwusibe, the officers were attacked by armed persons wearing black clothing, the command’s spokesperson, ASP Maureen Chinaka, said in a statement on Monday.
The statement read, āOn 17/11/2024, at about 20:30hrs, two police officers from the Special Protection Unit Base 4, MakurdiāInspector Dunna Jatau and Inspector Bala Mohammedāassigned to Hon. Ginger Onwusibe, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Nsiala-Ngwa North/South constituency, were ambushed by armed assailants while on official duty in Umuahia.
āThe officers were in a police Toyota Hilux vehicle after accompanying and dropping off the Honourable Member in Umuahia.
āOn their way back, near the Umuahia South Local Government Area Secretariat in Ubakala, their vehicle was intercepted by armed men dressed in black attire, operating in a Toyota Corolla with tinted windows.ā
The assailants reportedly blocked the road and opened fire on the officers.
āTragically, Inspector Bala Mohammed sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene, while Inspector Dunna Jatau and the driver managed to escape the attack,ā the statement added.
Following the incident, the police command said it had combed the area and launched a comprehensive search operation to locate the attackers. Tactical teams have been deployed to track the fleeing suspects, and an investigation is ongoing.
āThe Abia State Police Command is committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice,ā the statement added.
It had been earlier reportedĀ that last Wednesday, two soldiers were killed when gunmen attacked an army checkpoint at the Imo/Abia boundary community of Ekenobizi in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.