Two policemen have been gunned down in Anambra State by some suspected kidnappers wearing military camouflage.
The command in a statement on Friday said the officers were killed around Uga roundabout in Aguata Local Government Area of the state.
The assailants were reportedly on a kidnap mission, when a team of policemen attached to a motorcade ran into them on Thursday night.
The command said the officers were trying to clear the traffic gridlock, when the gunmen shot two of them dead and fled the scene.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed that the assailants wore military fatigues, said the Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, had directed an intensive manhunt for the assailants.
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He said that police-led Mobile Forward Operating Base, which had been patrolling th area during Christmas period, promptly responded to the incident, adding that a Lexus SUV the gang used, and AK-47 rifle belonging to one of the slain officers were recovered.
The PPRO noted that an improvised explosive device found in the vehicle was recovered and defused.
“The CP Aderemi Adeoye had declared the weekend and Christmas holidays as special working days for all officers and men in the command
“He commended all personnel for their tireless and courageous effort in securing the people of Anambra State.
“The CP has urged all officers and men of Anambra State Police Command to redouble their efforts and remain vigilant while assuring that technology would be deployed to track down the criminals who unleashed the attack on police personnel,” the statement said.
Ikenga said the CP urged operatives of the command not to be demoralised by the incident, but to draw inspiration from the bravery of the late officers in confronting the criminal gang.
The CP also condoled with the families of the deceased officers and vowed that they would not die in vain.
