Gunmen attack police checkpoint, kill two officers

Two police officers were, on Sunday, killed when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria.

The gunmen, on arrival, were said to have opened fire on the officers who were manning the checkpoint, killing two of them at the spot.

The incident happened at about 11:27 a.m. along Kenyatta Road, near the Main gate of the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus in Enugu North Local Government Area of the state.

A witness, who identified herself simply as Mama Chinedu, told PREMIUM TIMES that she and other shop owners ran away during the attack.

“Two policemen were killed by the gunmen. But two other officers escaped with gunshot injuries,” she said.

“We ran away because bullets were flying around here.”

A video clip, apparently recorded shortly after the attack, has been circulating on various WhatsApp groups.

In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, two bodies of the slain officers were spotted in the area.

While one body was lying along the road, the second body was seen inside a gutter near the scene of the attack.

Passers-by were also seen gathering around the bodies.

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The police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, did not respond to calls and a WhatsApp message seeking comments from him about the attack.

Increased attacks

Enugu, like other states in Nigeria’s south-east, has witnessed an increase in deadly attacks lately.

The attacks, mostly targeted at security officials and government facilities, have been attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) which is agitating for a sovereign state for the Igbo-speaking people in the South-east.

The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is standing trial for terrorism.