An Police Inspector from Ndiegoro Police Station was killed on Tuesday by suspected IPOB/ESN members around Ohanku Road-Iheorji junction in Aba, Abia.
Two of the attackers were however neutralised by the police in the ensuing gun duel.
Confirming the incident, the Abia Police Public Relations Officer, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna said the incident happened at about 12 : 30 pm on Tuesday.
Ogbonna said some policemen from Ndiegoro Police Station were on patrol around Iheorji when they came under attack by people suspected to be IPOB/ESN members.
โDuring a gun duel, one of the Policemen paid the supreme price while two of the gunmen were neutralized.
โAs they shot the policeman they also collected his Police AK 47 riffleโ, he said.
An eye witness told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba that the Inspector was killed by one of the gang members when he went after the hoodlum as he was escaping.
The witness who gave his name only as Ahanna said that the incident happened about noon on Tuesday.
โWe were to the market when we saw these boys, who were inside a tricycle with very powerful guns as they passed us.
โIt was not long when they passed by us that some policemen on patrol followed them.
โThe Policemen engaged them and killed two of them while the others ran away and one ran into the back of a nearby building.
โThe Inspector ran after the robber that ran to the back of a nearby building unknown to him that the other robber was waiting for him.
โThe robber shot at the Inspector at close range and killed him on the spotโ, he narrated.
Ogbonna said that the police were on the trail of the gunmen who escaped and urged residents to volunteer credible information that would help in their arrest. (NAN)
