Ebonyi State Police Command, Thursday, confirmed the killing of three of its officers attached to the Safer Highway patrol team by unknown gunmen.

It was gathered that the three policemen were on duty on Ogoja-Abakaliki Expressway as part of the Safer Highway Patrol team when they were attacked on Wednesday.

The State Police Command spokesperson, Loveth Odah, who confirmed the incident, said the gunmen disguised as guests going to a funeral.

Odah said that there were three motorcycles in front and three tricycles behind, while two Sienna buses followed them behind.

“On getting to the police checkpoint, they were stopped for a stop and search, and immediately they opened fire on the police officers, killing two who were close to the scene.

“Some of our personnel on patrol, who were close to the scene, on hearing the gunshots, rushed to help their colleagues not knowing that the Keke Napep operators that passed them were among the persons that attacked the police officers.

“The Keke Napep occupants on getting to where the police vehicle was parked with one police officer at the checkpoint shot and killed the police officer and set the police vehicle that was parked there ablaze. That makes it three police officers we lost yesterday,” she said.

She said that a police team led by the Deputy Commissioner in Charge of Operations has been dispatched to the area for an on-the-spot assessment of what happened.

The police spokesperson also said that the command is linking the attack to the breakthrough the command recorded on 8 April 2021.

She said that on the said date, some police officers were at a checkpoint in Umuoghara in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state when some men broke out from the bush and opened fire on them.

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