Anambra Police Boss Visits Scene of Killings, Orders Search for Suspects

The Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has taken a team made up of the Nigerian Army, Anambra State Police Command, and Agunechemba Security Squad to Ndiukwuenu community in Orumba North LGA. This visit was to address the site where gunmen killed two policemen and two civilians.

This incident happened on Sunday night along the Amansea, Ndiora, Ndiukwuenu, Awa, Ufuma Road. The gunmen attacked the convoy of Chief Ben Nwankwo, who is the Chief of Staff to Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

Reports show that the death toll from the attack has increased to four people, which includes two police officers and two civilians in the convoy during the attack.

During his visit late on Monday, the CP took time to assess the crime scenes. He wanted to see the situation for himself, comfort the local community, and supervise the tactical teams sent for investigations.

Orutugu has ordered a full-scale manhunt and the use of special forensic teams to find those responsible for the attack. He also criticized the councillor and the president-general of the community for not alerting security forces about criminal activities in the area.

He stated, “This is an on-the-spot assessment of the crime scenes to personally evaluate the situation. A full-scale manhunt and the deployment of specialised forensic assets to track the perpetrators have been initiated.

“We charge the local community to work closely with the Rapid Response Squad of the Command to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of those behind the attack using intelligence gathering.”

The Agunechemba Security Squad, who were present during the visit, confirmed that the criminals operate from Awka, the state capital. They use a white jeep to attack nearby communities before escaping.

Mr Nweke Nweke, the Publicity Secretary of the Agunechemba Security Squad, shared that they have been closely watching the attackers. He said, “We have kept a close watch on these criminals, and we can state categorically that they are not residents of the area. They come from Awka, carry out their operations in a guerrilla-style manner, and then retreat back to the capital city.

“This is largely because our outfit has intensified operations within the capital city, making it difficult for them to perpetrate their criminal activities there. As a result, they now target neighbouring communities close to Awka.

“We are already working in collaboration with other security agencies through joint patrol operations to nip the crime in the bud. Significant progress has been made in intelligence gathering, and this indicates that we are closing in on the perpetrators,” Nweke added.

Nweke also mentioned that information from the public and residents of affected areas has been very helpful in the investigations and intelligence work.

The Councillor representing Ndiukwuenu Ward, the President-General of the community, and the Vice President-General have been included in the joint security team working to find the gunmen responsible for the killings.

In Ndiukwuenu Community, security forces have taken over key areas and searched nearby bushes to find the attackers' hideouts. During this operation, one suspect dressed in police uniform was arrested.