From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Gunmen have killed two policemen and one civilian helping them to track a car stolen in Oye Agu Market area of Abagana in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The policemen numbering six and the car tracker traced the stolen car to Achalla community in Awka North LGA, but they were ambushed by gunmen believed to have stolen the car being tracked.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, in a statement, said that two of the policemen and the car tracker were captured by the gunmen while the remaining four policemen escaped.
But a police reinforcement team that later returned to the forest where the hoodlums set up their camp engaged the criminals in a fierce gun battle.
The PPRO said that some of the gunmen sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries, adding that human skull, bombs, guns, hard drugs and other illicit items were recovered from their camp in the forest.
He also said that the police neutralised some of the armed hoodlums, but did not mention the number.
The statement reads: “The Anambra Police Command, Friday, 15/07/2022, recovered a human skull, one locally made rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launcher, two (RPG) bombs, one single- barrel long gun, empty chain of bullet, one Toyota Sienna, one Mercedes Benz Formatic jeep, two cylinders, a huge quantity of hard drugs and other items, including a police beret and a police belt in a criminal den at Amukabia, Achalla, Awka North LGA in Anambra State.
“The recovery came about following a counter-offensive operation launched against criminal elements who had on 15/7/2022 laid an ambush against a six-man police team and a civilian car tracker who were on a recovery operation of a Toyota Sienna Space Wagon vehicle earlier snatched on gun point on 9/7/2022 in Oye-Agu Abagana.
“Four of the police operatives escaped the ambush, while two of the police operatives and the car tracker were captured by the criminals.