Gunmen on Friday night, fatally shot two policemen who were stationed at the Enugu State Police Command’s Ogui Divisional Headquarters.
The policemen were conducting a routine stop-and-search along Presidential Road in Enugu when they were ambushed by the armed attackers. The incident occurred around 9:30 PM.
In response to this tragic event, Governor Peter Mbah announced on Saturday that a reward of N10 million would be offered for any information leading to the apprehension of the perpetrators.
Mbah pledged that his administration would mobilize all available resources to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators responsible for this heinous act.
He made this commitment while addressing reporters following a State Security Council meeting at the Government House in Enugu. The meeting was attended by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kanayo Uzuegbu; State Director of the State Security Services, Theresa Egbunu; Garrison Commander of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu, Brigadier General Murtala Abu; and the State Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Peter Ogar, among others.
Regarding the potential suspects, Mbah indicated that intelligence reports suggest involvement by individuals associated with the Eastern Security Network (ESN), a security organization linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He further disclosed that the assailants arrived in multiple SUVs, including a black Lexus SUV. Consequently, he urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities or information related to the perpetrators and their vehicles to the appropriate security agencies.
He said, “We just rounded off our Security Council meeting where we discussed, among other things, the gruesome killing of our policemen—men of the Enugu State Police Command—by criminals suspected to be members of the ESN.
“Let me say this, this bestial and cold-blooded action cannot be condoned in Enugu State. I have given my directives to the security agencies that there must be no hiding place for these criminals in Enugu State. We must use everything necessary to hunt down, arrest, and bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime.
“We have also placed a bounty of N10 million as a reward for anyone who has any useful information that will lead to the arrest of these criminals.
“So, I enjoin members of the public to, please, come forward or call the police and other security agencies with any useful information that could lead to the arrest of these criminals.”
Mbah said his administration would.ensure that the ultimate sacrifice made by the policemen does not go in vain.
“Those who murdered our policemen, or indeed any member of our security agencies, may assume that they have triumphed in their evil acts. Let me inform them that we are going to come after them with everything we have.
“We are going to deploy all the necessary technology, all the necessary forces within our powers to track them, capture them, and defeat them. Enugu State, and indeed, with the support of the security agencies, we are going to make life uncomfortable for those who do not want to live in a decent society,” he stated.
In 2022, the Enugu State Police Command initiated a search for the assailants responsible for the deaths of five individuals, among them three police officers, within the state.
Additionally, the Enugu State Police Command, through a statement issued by its spokesperson, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, reported that officers from the Ogui Division were subjected to an ambush by armed criminals while conducting a stop-and-search operation along Presidential Road on May 10, 2024, around 9:30 PM.
He said that the command suspected the hoodlums to be members of IPOB/ESN criminal elements, who operated in three SUV jeeps.
“The operatives returned fire, forcing the hoodlums to escape with varying degrees of gunshot wounds and abandoning a recovered Lexus RX 300 jeep with Reg. No. KTU 991 FD.
“However, two of the operatives sustained gunshot injuries in the ensuing gun duel and were taken to the hospital for medical treatment,” he said.
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