Gunmen Kill DPO, 3 Policemen

Police Headquarters

Enugu State Police Command Sunday said it had commenced full scale investigations into the alleged killing of one its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) by yet to be identified gunmen on Saturday evening.

The killing of the DPO however came on a day suspected armed robbers shot dead three policemen in Mararrabar Maigora Village in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

However, reports said the deceased policeman, Mr. Okey ofoedu, a superintendent of police (SP) who was also the DPO in charge Oji River Police Division, Enugu State was said to have met his untimely death at Ojinator along Awkaoji River old road by Roi filling station at about 6.30pm on Saturday.

A statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Ebere Amarizu,  a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), said Ofoedu was returning from an engagement and was heading for his office when he was gunned down.

It was further alleged that his assailants numbering about four and operating with a Passat car had trailed him to the point  shooting at him on transit severally before he was hit by their bullet and every attempt made to revive him proved abortive as the doctor on duty at the hospital where he was initially rushed to later confirmed him dead.

It was also gathered that the body of the deceased had been deposited at a nearby hospital for a post mortem examination.

The state Commissioner of Police, Musa A. Daura, described the incident as an unfortunate one just as he assured that his command in partnership with other relevant security agencies as well as other relevant stake holders would do everything humanly possible to get the assailants and  bring them to book. He used the opportunity to charge his men not to be demoralised with this type of incident.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Police Command, ASP Shehu Koko, confirmed the development, saying three police men were ambushed by the robbers in the early hours of yesterday while on patrol.
“The attackers on sighting the police patrol van, opened fire on the vehicle resulting in the death of the three policemen on the spot and setting their vehicle on fire,” he noted.
He noted, however, that the police command was able to recover the bodies of the three policemen, adding: “no arrest has so far been made but a team of policemen has been dispatched to the area to fishing out the
suspects.”