Not less than four officers were injured during an attack in Effium Community of Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State yesterday.
Vanguard gathered that the victims in Ebonyi were attacked alongside an Ebonyi lawmaker, Hon. Chinedu Awo, representing Ohaukwu North constituency in the State House of Assembly.
The four wounded policemen were rushed to the Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki where they are presently receiving treatment.
A source confirmed that two of the policemen have successfully undergone surgery at the hospital while a senior Police officer who led the team and who was shot on the leg asked to be discharged.
The wounded Lawmaker is said to be stable after he was treated at the hospital.
The victims were reportedly attacked at Effium where they went in search of the kidnapped Consultant handling the Ebonyi ring road project.
The Consultant was abducted alongside four others with him three weeks ago.
It was gathered that the lawmaker led the team to confirm the report that the kidnapped victims may have been killed and buried in the area. The victims were said to be on their way to Effium community when the hoodlums opened fire on them.
Effium, which the lawmaker represents in the State House of Assembly, has been enmeshed in an intra-communal war with Ezza-Effium both of Ohaukwu LGA of the state.
The war has reportedly claimed over hundreds lives and property worth billions.
Three weeks ago, a Consultant handling the Ebonyi ring road project and four others with him were kidnapped along the Effium axis of the ring road while supervising the project.
The kidnapped victims are yet to be found as of the time of filing this report.
Also, 17 persons were said to have been killed in the area in an attack on residents by unknown gunmen.
Meanwhile, Ebonyi State Police Command, yesterday said three of its policemen sustained bullet wounds while two were abducted during the attack.
According to the statement by the State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Loveth Odah, efforts were made by the command to ensure the rescue of the abducted Police officers.
“On 28/11/2021, at about 1340hrs, while the Police operatives were returning from investigation in connection with the three missing engineers who were abducted in the same area on the 3rd of November, 2021 while on ring road site project, the operatives were in the company of Hon. Chinedu Awo, a member Representing Ohaukwu North Constituency in the State House of Assembly who accompanied the operatives to enable him to dialogue with the warriors at Igbuduoke village in Effium/Ezza clan ‘the warring community. They were ambushed by armed Ezza warriors numbering over sixty (60) who attacked them from all flanks but the operatives gallantry fought back, resulting in heavy casualties on the side of the attackers.
“However, DSP Bruno Chukwu and two others sustained bullet wounds and are currently responding to treatment, while two Police officers by name, Sergeant Donatus Osuagwu and Sergeant Thaddeus Ugoeze are suspected to have been abducted by the hoodlums as they were discovered missing in action.
“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State Command, CP. Aliyu Garba led a convoy of about seven teams on reinforcement where they cordoned off the forest and searched the village but could not see the missing officers nor the perpetrators.
Efforts are in top gear to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and arrested.”
