A police operative was shot on Wednesday in Anambra State when gunmen attacked the convoy of a former governor of the state, Chris Ngige.
The incident occurred along Nkpor-Nnobi Road in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.
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Fred Chukwuelobe, a media aide to Mr Ngige, announced this in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Chukwulobe said the former governor was not in the convoy during the attack.
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“But a policeman in the pilot car was shot and his gun and uniform taken away by the suspected assailants who were dressed in police and army uniforms,” he said.
The media aide said a yet-to-be-identified lady who was recording the attack was shot dead, while a male shop owner who ran to find out what was happening also sustained a gunshot injury.
“He (the shop owner) only lost a lot of blood and will be operated upon soon to remove the bullets. He is expected to make a full recovery,” he said.
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‘Police vehicle riddled with bullets’
Mr Chukwulobe stressed that the police operative who was shot had undergone an operation and was expected to “make a full recovery.”
“The pilot car was riddled with bullets,” he said.
He said he had a phone conversation with Mr Ngige, who he said assured him that he would ensure those injured would get adequate medical treatment.
The media aide also said the former governor has commiserated with the family of the victim who lost her life in the attack.
Police speak
The police spokesperson in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, has confirmed the development in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the police authorities in the state have launched a manhunt for the attackers.
The police spokesperson said the hoodlums snatched a Mercedes-Benz SUV during the attack, but it was later recovered after operatives confronted the assailants.
“A combined team of Police Tactical Operatives from the Operations Department Awka, the Rapid Response Squad Akwuzu, and the Special Anti-Cultism Unit Enugu-Ukwu, while in hot pursuit of armed criminals who attacked a police patrol team at Eziowelle along Umuoji Road, encountered a police convoy that promptly joined in the engagement.
“The convoy swiftly aligned with the pursuing operatives and engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel, forcing the criminals to abandon the snatched white Mercedes-Benz SUV and flee the scene under intense pressure,” he said.
“Preliminary information indicates that the officers in the convoy are attached to Senator Chris Ngige, former Governor of Anambra State and former Minister of Labour and Employment.”
Mr Ikenga said the police officer who the hoodlums shot “is stable and currently receiving treatment at a medical facility.”
“The recovered vehicle has been secured and taken into police custody for further investigation, as operatives intensify a coordinated state-wide manhunt for the fleeing armed hoodlums.”
Not the first time
This is not the first time a convoy of a politician has been attacked in Anambra, which has witnessed increased attacks in recent times.
In September 2022, some gunmen attacked the convoy of Ifeanyi Ubah, the then-Senator representing Anambra South District, killing some of his personal and security aides.
Even members and former members of the Anambra State Assembly had been targeted in some deadly attacks by armed persons terrorising the state.
On 21 May 2022, for instance, gunmen abducted and then beheaded Okechukwu Okoye, a lawmaker representing Aguata 2 Constituency in Anambra State House of Assembly.
Mr Okoye was killed alongside his aide, Cyril Chiegboka, six days after they were abducted along Aguluzigbo Road, Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.
Again, gunmen abducted Uzozie Chukwujekwu, a special adviser to a former chairperson of Nnewi South Council Area and also shot his only son, just a few hours after the news of the beheading of Mr Okoye went public.
Within the same year, two former lawmakers of the Anambra House of Assembly were abducted and then killed in separate attacks.
Apart from politicians, government officials, security agencies, and even clerics have become targets of attacks lately.
In December 2024, a retired Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Nnewi, Godwin Okpala, and his driver were declared missing in the state.
Mr Okpala, a professor, and the driver were later confirmed to have been abducted.
The duo were, however, released after nearly one month in captivity.
The Nigerian government has accused Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for some of the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.
IPOB is leading an agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south of Nigeria.
Its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was recently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for terrorism.
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