A policeman, whose name is yet to be revealed, has been killed in a shootout between some gunmen and a police patrol team in Ebonyi State.
It was learnt that the incident occurred on Thursday around the Ngbo-Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
Ohaukwu has become a crisis prone area in Ebonyi State in recent days.
The police spokesperson in the state, Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the incident on Friday.
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He said, “On 01/02/2024 at about 11:00 am, Operatives of the Command on patrol along Ngbo-Effium Road were attacked by armed hoodlums using an ash coloured Toyota Sienna with registration number unknown.”
He said the operatives engaged the hoodlums and in the ensuing gun duel, a policeman was fatally wounded.
Ukandu noted that another policeman was wounded and was receiving treatment at a hospital.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Augustina Ogbodo, immediately dispatched tactical teams of the command to the scene.
“The team are on the trail of the hoodlums. Meanwhile, calm and normalcy have been restored to the area.
“The CP is using this medium to call on well-meaning individuals of the state to avail the command with useful information that can lead to the arrest of the fleeing hoodlums while assuring them of the command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and property in the state,” he stated.
Daily Trust learnt that the body of the cop had been deposited in a hospital mogue in Abakiliki metropolis.