A police inspector from the 29 Police Mobile Force (PMF) in Awka was reportedly shot in a recent clash with operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The tragic incident happened during a stop-and-search operation in Uli, located in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.
According to renowned security expert, Zagazola Makama, the incident appears to have been a case of mistaken identity involving personnel from the DSS.
The event reportedly took place on June 24 at approximately 5:50 p.m. along the Onitsha/Owerri Expressway, close to the Danaks Filling Station in Uli.
Makama quoted sources as having disclosed that a team of mobile police officers, assigned to patrol the highway, had signalled an unmarked Toyota Sienna vehicle to stop.
The vehicle had emerged from a nearby track road and was travelling the wrong way against traffic. The officers’ suspicion led them to initiate a search.
Eyewitness accounts from fellow officers indicate that the individuals within the vehicle, clad in black uniforms and reportedly armed with assault rifles, declined to cooperate, leading to a confrontation. The occupants then opened fire on the police team, resulting in the fatal injury of Inspector Bello Abdulahi in the lower rib area.
The injured officer was promptly taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala but was subsequently referred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, where he was declared dead upon arrival. His remains have since been placed in the hospital morgue for autopsy and preservation.
The assailants, later identified as DSS operatives affiliated with the Ihiala Local Government Secretariat, fled the scene immediately following the incident.
According to reports, the DSS headquarters in Awka has been officially informed, and an investigation has been initiated to ascertain the complete circumstances surrounding the incident.
This tragic event has ignited calls for enhanced inter-agency coordination to avert similar incidents in the future.
New source credit: Naija news
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