13 Suspect And Three Others Arrested Over The Death Of A Policeman

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested 13 persons, following the disturbances by over 100 hoodlums in Onitsha that claimed the lives of a policeman, a pregnant woman and her two children on Thursday.

The command Friday warned that police will not take it lightly with any person or group that tries to take laws into their hands in the state.

Also, the command said it recovered Ak-47 riffle of the deceased policeman from the house of one of the suspects.

In a statement released Friday in Awka by the command after the incident on Thursday and made available to reporters, which was signed by the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Princess Nkeiruka Nwode, said: “enough is enough”.

It was gathered that what sparked off the rampage of the youths was when a tipper lost control when it was being flagged down by the police men on check point, where it lost control and killed a pregnant woman and her two children.

Angered the action of the policemen, the youths numbering over 100 besieged the check point and pursued the policemen who ran away immediately after the incident and killed two of them.

Also in the process, some property at Amazu motor company was destroyed by the irate youth, but the intervention of the state police commissioner, Mr. Garba Baba Umar through the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Okpoko restored normalcy.

According to Nwode, the bodies of the four persons who lost their lives during the fracas had been deposited at the mortuary for post mortem examination.

She equally said that the commissioner of police Umar, had ordered for full-scale investigation to ascertain the actual cause of the incident with a view to fishing out the perpetrators of such dastardly act.

The incident, according to Nwode happened between 12 and 1 pm on Thursday, along Onitsha – Owerri expressway, adding that preliminary investigation revealed that it was caused by a lorry.

Nwode, said the registration number of the lorry was Anambra 859 GDD, which lost control at the police check point and knocked down a yet to be identified woman and three other children.

The release said, “Anambra state police command received a distress call that misguided elements numbering over 100 went on rampage and attacked a police check point at Km 4/6 along Onitsha-Owerri road manned by visiting police mobile unit attached to 3 PMF Enugu”

“And in the process killing on the spot one SGT. Uchenna Ezike while on duty, took away his Ak-47 riffle, set ablaze four vehicles and destroyed Bontus group”

“Meanwhile, following the distress call, police patrol teams led by DPO Okpoko rushed to the scene, restored normalcy in the area and arrested 13 suspects including one Paul Igwe whose custody the deceased police riffle was recovered,” the command said.