By Tony Adibe
The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the death of two operatives following what the Command regarded as an “unprovoked attack” by armed men on the police team along Agbani Road, not far from the Police Detective College, Enugu, within the metropolis.
NewsBits reports that the incident reportedly occurred on Thursday night at about eight o’clock while men of the Police Distress Response Squad (DRS) were on duty. “The injured officers were taken to the hospital for urgent medical attention but were later confirmed dead by the attending medical personnel,” stated SP
Daniel Ndukwe, Police Public Relations Officer in a statement he released on Friday. He alleged that the attack was perpetrated by suspected members of IPOB/ESN.
According to Ndukwe, the state Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has directed tactical and intelligence operatives of the Command to “intensify the ongoing manhunt for suspected IPOB/ESN subversive criminal elements who attacked a Police Distress Response Squad (DRS) team” along Agbani Road, Enugu, on the night of 15th January 2026.
Ndukwe’s statement further read: “The criminal elements suddenly opened fire on the police team without provocation. The operatives responded promptly, forcing the assailants to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries. During the exchange of gunfire, the team’s operational vehicle caught fire, while two police officers sustained severe gunshot injuries. The injured officers were taken to the hospital for urgent medical attention, but were later confirmed dead by the attending medical personnel.
“Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police charged the operatives to deploy all available resources and leverage actionable intelligence to sustain the established trail and ensure that the fleeing assailants are arrested and brought to justice. Meanwhile, the Lexus 330 Jeep, earlier snatched from its owner by the hoodlums and used for the attack, has been recovered by the operatives, bearing multiple bullet piercings from the gunfight.”
The PPRO also stated that Giwa has further appealed to members of the public with credible information that could assist in the arrest of the suspects to “promptly volunteer such information to the Police.” He assured that the Command remains resolute and committed to ensuring that the subversive and violent criminal elements do not evade justice, according to Ndukwe.
