On Tuesday, the Ebonyi State police command revealed that armed thugs had murdered a senior officer at the Union Bank roundabout in the state capital, Abakaliki.
The deceased, whose identity has not yet been made public, was killed on Monday night by the armed thugs, while two other police officers suffered critical bullet wounds.
According to reports, the police officers were performing stop and search operations at the Union Bank roundabout, which is where the majority of the State Capital's banks are located.
In a statement made available to newsmen by the command's spokesperson, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the Commissioner of Police for the Ebonyi State Command, CP. Faleye Olayele, confirmed the event.
The commissioner said: “The Operatives of the Command on stop and search duty at Union Bank roundabout, the area where banks are concentrated in the State Capital, engaged in a shootout with heavily armed hoodlums, whose missions were unknown in the area.
“Sadly, one of the operatives paid the supreme price, while two others were injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital. Also, the hoodlums equally recorded casualties but were taken away.â€
The commissioner swore to make sure that the murderers were prosecuted for the crime they committed in the state and made to stand trial.
“The general public should remain calm, as measures have been placed to protect the lives and property of the citizens,†he said
Olayele pleaded with the populace to report anyone they saw in the state seeking medical attention for a gunshot wound or otherwise.