Gunmen kill policemen in Enugu, set patrol van on fire

By : Lawrence Njoku

Date: 28 December 2025 5:49pm WAT

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Gunmen attacked policemen on stop-and-search duty on Saturday night

Gunmen attacked policemen on stop-and-search duty on Saturday night

Some gunmen on Saturday night attacked policemen on stop-and-search duty in the Enugu metropolis, leading to casualties.

The incident occurred at the Osondu bus stop on Zik Avenue, Uwani, Enugu.

Sources disclosed that two policemen reportedly paid the supreme price during the attack, which occurred around 9pm.

It was gathered that the gunmen opened fire on the police patrol vehicle stationed on a street where the policemen were.

The driver of the patrol vehicle was reportedly shot before the vehicle was set ablaze.

Another policeman was also said to have been shot dead during a gun duel that ensued.

A recorded video of the incident that circulated on social media on Sunday showed the patrol van engulfed in flames.

Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relations Officer for Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, about the incident proved abortive.

Ndukwe neither picked his calls nor responded to a text message on his mobile line.

Meanwhile, the death of 19-year-old Nnamdi Chidi in Agunese Mmaku Community, Awgu Local Government Area, Enugu State, has prompted sharply contrasting accounts from family members, community sources, and police units, with the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) calling for an independent investigation.

One narrative, presented by Onuseluogu Birinus Nevobasi, links Chidi’s death to a violent reprisal following a police operation. Nevobasi claims that officers from the Force Intelligence Department (FID) in Abuja, led by Jonathan Azubike Onuoha, had arrested Emmanuel Okeke as part of an ongoing probe. According to this account, Ifeanyi Okeke, Emmanuel’s younger brother, allegedly threatened retaliation unless his sibling was released.

The account states that a group subsequently attacked Onuoha’s family home in the early hours of 6 May 2025, causing property damage and assaulting residents, including Onuoha’s elder sister and her children. Nevobasi claims that Chidi, the son of the assaulted woman, later died of injuries sustained during the attack on 8 May at Beacon Hospital in Awgu.

According to the version, the Awgu Police Division initially took custody of Chidi’s body and began an investigation, which was later transferred to the Homicide Department of the Enugu State Police Command.

An autopsy reportedly established a prima facie case of murder, prompting the Force Headquarters Homicide Unit to take over the investigation, arrest a prime suspect, and recommend prosecution.

Nevobasi and others allege that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit attempted to interfere with the probe by withdrawing the case file and filing counterclaims of cyberbullying and character assassination against those alleging murder.

A counter-narrative, advanced by Vincent Okafor and supported by the IGP Monitoring Unit, disputes the murder claims entirely.

Citing a video statement from Chidi’s mother, Augustina Ogbaja Onuoha, the unit maintains that no assault occurred and that Chidi died from natural causes linked to a pre-existing medical condition.

The Monitoring Unit asserts that its visits to the community were intended to ensure investigative integrity, and that the murder allegations were fabricated and used to target innocent individuals.

It further claims that advocates of the homicide narrative avoided cooperation with the unit, instead pursuing court orders to limit police questioning.

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