POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN ANAMBRA SHOOTOUT INVOLVING SUSPECTED DSS OPERATIVES
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
A police inspector attached to the 29 Police Mobile Force in Awka was shot dead during a stop-and-search operation on Wednesday evening along the Onitsha/Owerri Expressway, near Danaks Filling Station in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The fatal incident reportedly occurred during a chaotic shootout between a police patrol team and occupants of an unmarked Toyota Sienna vehicle, suspected to be operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who were allegedly driving against traffic.
Eyewitnesses told the media that the police flagged down the vehicle for routine checks, but the occupants, dressed in black attire, resisted and opened fire, hitting the inspector in his lower rib.
“The Sienna had come from a nearby bush track and was flagged down. But rather than stop, they opened fire, prompting an exchange of gunfire,” said a roadside hawker who witnessed the scene.
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The injured officer was initially taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala before being referred to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, where he was confirmed dead.
Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, described the event as distressing, attributing the shooting to a “friendly fire” encounter with another security agency.
“The situation was quickly brought under control, and an investigation has been launched by the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka,” Ikenga said, adding that all relevant protocols are being observed.
This tragic event comes barely two weeks after another police inspector, Okolie Amechi, was accidentally killed by his 10-year-old son who mistakenly discharged his father’s AK-47 rifle in Awka.
The police command has urged the public to remain calm, assuring that a comprehensive investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the incident and ensure accountability.
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