Gunmen, on Sunday, ambushed a team of policemen in Rivers State, and in the process killed one of the cops and injured others before escaping with a police rifle. The incident, it was gathered, occurred on Captain Amangala Street in the Borikiri area of Port Harcourt.
It was learnt that there was palpable tension in the area as shops closed hurriedly, while residents were forced indoors around 7pm when the incident happened. An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunshot forced passersby to flee the area.
The source said, “We were standing near the road in front of my shop when two vehicles drove by on high speed and less than five minutes after, we heard gunshots and people started running helter-skelter and looking for where to hide. Later, we heard that a policeman was shot dead by the gunmen, while his gun was taken away.”
Another resident of the area, who gave his name simply as Ben, said other team members of the slain cop sustained bullet injuries after the gunmen opened fire on them. It was observed that peace had returned to the area as shops were opened for business, while residents went about their normal activities.
When contacted, the spokesman for the state police command, SP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the attack and the killing of the policeman, adding, however, that information about the incident were still sketchy. He stated, “I am aware of an attack on our men last night at Captain Amangala; the details of the incident are still sketchy right now; I am, however, not aware of any firearm being stolen. One of our men died in the incident; that I can also confirm; I have yet to establish contact with the DPO of the area; once I do, I will have the details.”