Suspected gunmen on Sunday night attacked a police patrol team along the Awa-Ndiukwuenu-Ufuma Road in Anambra State, reportedly killing two officers in what residents described as a renewed wave of violent attacks in the state.
The identities of the attackers had yet to be established as of the time of filing this report.
The incident comes after months of relative calm in Anambra following intensified security operations against criminal elements, including armed groups accused of carrying out violent attacks across parts of the state.
Eyewitnesses said the assailants opened fire on the patrol team, leaving at least two officers lying on the road while their patrol vehicle remained parked near the scene.
A tricycle operator who claimed to have witnessed the attack said he was travelling along the route when he suddenly heard gunshots ahead and immediately abandoned his vehicle to seek safety in a nearby bush.
According to him, he later returned to retrieve his tricycle after the shooting subsided and discovered two police officers lying motionless on the road.
The witness expressed concern that one of the officers might still have been alive at the time, urging authorities to quickly intervene and provide assistance.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Anambra State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, did not connect.
The police command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of press time.
The latest attack has raised fresh concerns over security in Anambra, where authorities have in recent months recorded successes in efforts to curb violent crimes and armed attacks.
