Manhunt begins as gunmen kill two police officers in Anambra

The Anambra State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the killers of two policemen who were shot dead along the Amansea–Ndiora–Ndiukwuenu–Awa–Ufuma Road in the Orumba South Local Government Area of the state. The directive to fish out the killers of the policemen was issued on Monday by the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Ikioye Orutugu, during an emergency security meeting held at the State Police Command Headquarters in Awka. Orutugu briefed senior officers and heads of operational units of the command on the urgency of the situation. Our correspondent gathered that the policemen were ambushed and attacked during a convoy operation on Sunday night while returning from an assignment. The attack was also said to have involved the convoy of Chief Ben Nwankwo, the Chief of Staff to the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who had attended a function on behalf of the governor and was returning to Awka when the incident occurred. Although the Chief of Staff reportedly escaped unhurt, some civilians in the entourage were injured in the gun duel that lasted several minutes. According to eyewitnesses in the area, the assailants, who had laid siege in a nearby bush, opened fire on the officers as soon as they approached, with the gunshots sending panic across communities along the road. One of the eyewitnesses, a tricycle rider who plies the road, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was returning from Ezira in Orumba South Local Government Area when he suddenly heard gunshots and immediately turned back to seek safety. He said, “The incident happened last night. I was returning from a journey when I suddenly heard gunshots. I abandoned my tricycle and turned back for safety. “After the shooting subsided, I resumed my journey and got to the point where the shooting occurred, only to discover that two police officers had been gunned down and were lying lifeless on the road.” In a video circulating online, the two policemen were seen lying on the road beside their patrol van in a pool of blood, while a voice in the video called for the attention of the relevant authorities. When contacted on Monday about the development, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, confirmed the incident. Orutugu said the command had already commenced investigations and was taking necessary action. He said, “A team of police officers was returning from an assignment when they were ambushed by armed men who opened fire on them. In the process, we lost two officers. “The police have been working on the matter since Sunday night and have intensifi