Unknown gunmen attacked a patrol team and killed a police officer in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. 

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, said one other policeman was injured during the attack. 

According to Ukandu, the incident occurred on Thursday, February 1, 2024, around the crisis-prone Ngbo-Effium axis in the LGA. 

The PPRO said the injured policeman had been taken to the hospital where he was receiving medical attention.

“On 01/02/2024 at about 11:00 am, Operatives of the Command on patrol along Ngbo-Effium Road were attacked by armed hoodlums using an Ash coloured Toyota Sienna with registration number unknown,” the statement read. 

He said that operatives engaged the hoodlums and in the ensuing gun battle, one of the operatives was fatally wounded.

“Another policeman was wounded and receiving medical treatment at the hospital,”

“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Augustina Ogbodo immediately dispatched tactical teams of the command to the scene.

“The team are on the trail of the hoodlums. Meanwhile, calm and normalcy have been restored to the area,” he said

The PPRO said that the state police commissioner had appealed to well-meaning citizens of the state to avail the command with useful information that could lead to the arrest of the fleeing hoodlums.

The CP assured the command’s unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and properties in the state.