A police officer and a member of the Anambra Vigilante Group sustained various injuries during a gunfight with unidentified assailants at a police checkpoint in the Ajali community, within the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Sources indicate that the armed hoodlums opened fire on the police operatives upon realising they were being followed to the checkpoint.
The assailants had allegedly stolen a vehicle and other belongings from members of the public before attacking the officers.
Eyewitnesses reported that the incident unfolded late on Thursday, resulting in several minutes of gunfire echoing through the community.
While no lives were lost, reports reveal that the hoodlums set fire to two vehicles belonging to the security team.
A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “The incident took place along the Umuchu-Amesi-Uga Road. The armed hoodlums audaciously emerged from their vehicle and engaged in a gunfight with the security personnel once they realised they had been followed.
“As a result, they burned two vehicles belonging to the Umuchu vigilante. Just days earlier, they had already torched one vehicle in the area, bringing the total to three in almost a week.
“During the intense exchange of gunfire, some security operatives suffered gunshot wounds. However, the local vigilantes fought back, compelling the unknown assailants to abandon their Toyota Hilux and flee, as one of the police officers managed to shoot out a tyre.”
The resident expressed concern over the recent surge in hoodlum activity, highlighting the safety worries as the Christmas season approaches.
Confirming the incident, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the state Police Command Spokesperson, issued a statement on Friday, stating that the injured security personnel were taken to hospital for treatment.
Ikenga noted, “In the late hours of Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Anambra State Joint Security Team intercepted armed men on the Umuchu-Amesi-Uga Road and recovered a stolen blue Hilux vehicle, plate number GDD 440 TJ, believed to have been taken from an unsuspecting member of the public.
“During a search of the vehicle, coolers for food preservation were found. The armed men were pursued after police operatives thwarted an attack on a police checkpoint at Ajali in Orumba North Local Government Area.
“Throughout the gunfight, one police officer and one AVG operative sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment in hospital. Tragically, both operational vehicles belonging to the AVG were engulfed in flames and completely destroyed.”
