Two officers of the Enugu State Police Command were fatally shot on Thursday night when armed assailants attacked a checkpoint along Agbani Road.
The attackers were said to have targeted operatives attached to the command’s Distress Response Squad.
The gunmen opened fire without warning, killing two policemen and setting their patrol van ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Police spokesperson Daniel Ndukwe, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, blamed the assault on suspected members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network.
He said the officers returned fire, forcing the attackers to retreat, but not before two policemen sustained gunshot injuries.
“The criminal elements suddenly opened fire on the operatives. They responded swiftly, causing the assailants to flee with suspected bullet wounds,” he said.
Ndukwe added that both injured officers were rushed to hospital but died despite emergency treatment.
He noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, had ordered an aggressive hunt for those behind the ambush and directed tactical and intelligence units to track down the culprits.
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“The Commissioner has instructed operatives to deploy every available resource and leverage actionable intelligence to ensure that the suspects are apprehended and made to face justice,” Ndukwe said.
