Police Chief visits Ndiukwuenu after deadly attack, orders search for suspects

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

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

Reports show that four people died in the incident. This includes two police officers and two civilians who were with them in the convoy at the time.

While visiting on Monday, CP Orutugu assessed the crime scenes to see the situation first-hand. He also spoke to the local community to reassure them and supervised the teams sent for investigations.

Orutugu ordered a full manhunt for the attackers and the use of forensic teams to track them down. He also criticized the councillor and the president-general of the community for failing to alert security agencies 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.”

Members of 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, said they have been monitoring these criminals closely. “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 tips from the public and residents of affected communities have helped a lot in the ongoing investigations and intelligence efforts.

The Councillor representing Ndiukwuenu Ward, along with the President-General and the Vice President-General of the community, will join the joint security team in the search for the gunmen responsible for the killings.

In Ndiukwuenu Community, security personnel have taken charge of major trouble spots and searched nearby bushes to find the attackers' hideouts. During this operation, one suspect dressed in police camouflage was arrested.