By Phil Okose Onitsha
Gunmen, at about 8 am this [Sunday] morning, shot dead a police inspector, a tricycle operator and one other person before setting the police patrol van ablaze at a police road block in Awada, Obosi, near Onitsha, Anambra state.
An eyewitness told Orient Daily that, “the incident occurred at Ukaegbu junction by Ezeiweka Road, Awada Obosi, while the Awada Police team mounted a road block despite the Inspector General of Police order that there should not be any police road block in the
Southeast.”
“The unknown gunmen had on arrival with a sienna car, shot the policemen at a close range killing an inspector on the spot while others fled. They set the police hilux patrol van ablaze and stray bullets hit a tricycle operator and one other person yet to be identified.”
On why the local vigilante men that have been patrolling the area were not within reach as at the time of the incident, he reiterated that “the divisional police officer, DPO, and the vigilante operatives are not in good terms for now due to the DPO’s high handedness and failure to work in harmony with the local vigilante group men.”
“Since the coming on board of the DPO, the vigilant group men were reported to have been intimidated, harassed and treated as if they are not part of the security system of the state.”
“The DPO is not friendly with any of the vigilante group men under his jurisdiction and the issue is hampering the security situation of the area” he stated further.”
The gunmen were said to have quietly driven out in their Sienna car unchallenged towards NEPA Road after the incident.
Contacted to confirm the incident, the state police public relations
officer, PPRO, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, said he was yet to get full details of the incident but pledged to revert as soon as possible.
