Gunmen attack police team in Abia, behead vigilante

A vigilante operative was killed and beheaded in an attack by gunmen in Abia State on Thursday, but no police officers were harmed, according to the state police command.

The attack occurred on Wednesday, October 26, at Umuojima/Isiahia village in the Osisioma Ngwa council area of the state, where gunmen ambushed a police team attached to the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) while on stop-and-search duty.

Police spokesperson, ASP Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the incident but said that no police officer was killed.

Chinaka said that a police team from the Osisioma Ngwa division responded to a distress call about the attack and discovered an unregistered Sienna bus and a headless corpse at the scene.

She added that through investigation, the deceased was identified as Obinna Ndukwe, a member of the Abia State vigilante services who often collaborated with the police and his corpse has been deposited at an undisclosed mortuary in the city.

“Yesterday, 26/10/2023 26, 2023, at about 15:50 hrs, Abia State Police officers stationed at Osisioma Ngwa Police Headquarters received credible information concerning an attack on a group of security personnel in Isiahia village, Umuojima, Osisioma Ngwa. The attacked team included one policeman, one special constabulary personnel, and three vigilante men,” Chinaka said.

“Upon arrival, an unregistered Sienna bus and a headless corpse were discovered. Through investigation, the deceased was identified as Obinna Ndukwe, also known as Socket, who was a member of the Abia State vigilante and often collaborated with the police. The body of the deceased has been evacuated and deposited in the mortuary.”

Chinaka noted that the police are currently investigating the attack and have launched a manhunt to apprehend the perpetrators, and she urged residents of the area to remain calm and security-conscious.

“We would want to clarify that no police official was killed during the incident. Furthermore, our officers successfully recovered the vehicle used by the hoodlums in the attack and efforts are underway to apprehend the perpetrators.”