The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, has commended operatives of the command for neutralising two suspected kidnappers and armed robbers during a gun battle along Eziowelle Road in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.

The breakthrough followed credible intelligence received by operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, in the early hours of yesterday about a group of suspected kidnappers and armed robbers operating along the road.

The operatives immediately mobilised to the area and, on sighting the police team, the suspects allegedly opened fire while attempting to escape, prompting a gun duel.

Two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries during the encounter, while other members of the gang reportedly fled with varying degrees of gunshot wounds.

The police recovered one AK-47 rifle with a magazine containing four live rounds of ammunition, one pump-action gun and five live cartridges from the scene.

Meanwhile, the CP has intervened in a tense situation at Ogbogwu, near the Onitsha Head Bridge, following the shooting of a middle-aged medicine trader by a police officer.

The incident, which sparked a protest and caused a temporary blockade of the Onitsha-Asaba Expressway, reportedly followed an attempt by the policeman to stop the trader for a search and possible arrest.

A video clip of the incident monitored by The Guardian captured an eyewitness alleging that the trader did not realise that the person flagging him down was a police officer and consequently failed to stop.

The eyewitness further alleged that the trader was shot in the leg and that his wares were damaged, prompting angry traders and passers-by to block the expressway.

The blockade disrupted vehicular and human movement, causing traffic gridlock on both sides of the road, particularly for motorists travelling between Onitsha and Asaba, Delta State.

Ama subsequently visited the area and appealed to the aggrieved traders and residents to remain calm, assuring them that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be thoroughly investigated and that justice would be served.

According to a statement issued by the police spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the commissioner also visited the victims at a hospital, where he assured them of the command’s support.

Ama pledged to personally ensure that the victims’ medical expenses were covered and ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.