The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State Command, Nnaghe Obono Itam, has ordered an immediate manhunt for the armed men who operated in a red Highlander SUV, and abducted a citizen in Nnewi at about 1:30pm on Monday, June 17.
The armed men, according to information gathered by Thenewsbearer, shot dead a vigilante man in addition to the death of innocent passersby who were hit by stray bullets in a gun duel with police operatives.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed that after the police got wind of the abduction, they trailed the criminals to Nnobi, where they engaged in a gun battle with them.
The PPRO made it known that during the gun duel, one of the security operatives was fatally hit by the bullet while two innocent passersby in the area got struck by stray bullets due to the indiscriminate shooting by the hoodlums in an attempt to escape the scene.
“The Police Responding Team at the scene recovered the bodies of the victims and took them to the hospital, but regrettably, three of the victims, including a 22-year-old lady, were confirmed dead by the doctors on duty while two others are currently receiving treatment,” SP Ikenga said.
He said that the Commissioner of Police condemned the killing, describing the perpetrators as cowards who have murdered sleep.
CP Itam condoled the families of the deceased and vowed to get justice for the heroic act of the murdered vigilante operative and unsuspecting members at the scene.
He also called on members of the public, especially the eyewitnesses, to assist the police with information on the ongoing onslaught by the criminals.
