A fierce gunfight erupted at a police checkpoint in the Ajali community, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, leaving a police officer and an operative of the Anambra Vigilante Group injured.
The altercation, which took place on Thursday evening, was triggered when armed assailants, suspected to have snatched a vehicle and other valuables, encountered security personnel trailing them.
Eyewitnesses reported that the gun battle lasted several minutes, causing panic among residents of the area. The attackers, upon realizing they were being pursued, engaged the police in a firefight. Two operational vehicles belonging to the local vigilante were set ablaze by the assailants during the skirmish.
According to a local resident, who spoke anonymously, “The incident occurred along the Umuchu-Amesi-Uga Road. The armed hoodlums boldly came down from their vehicle and began exchanging gunfire with the security men when they discovered that they were been trailed.
“In the process, they burnt two security vehicles belonging to the Umuchu vigilante; the hoodlums had earlier burnt one vehicle in the area, making it three within almost a week.
“During the fierce gun battle, some of the security operatives sustained bullet injuries. But the local vigilante operatives fought back, which led to the unknown gunmen abandoning their Toyota Hilux vehicle and escaped because one of the police officers fired and deflated the tyre.
“The recent activities of the hoodlums have created concerns over the safety of residents of the area, especially as Christmas is fast approaching. The latest attack was among the many in recent times.”
Spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident in a statement released on Friday, noting that the injured personnel were receiving treatment in a hospital.
Ikenga detailed the sequence of events, stating that police operatives had successfully resisted an earlier attack on the Ajali checkpoint before pursuing the attackers.
“In the late hours of Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Anambra State Joint Security Team intercepted armed men sighted on Umuchu-Amesi-Uga Road and recovered one branded blue Hilux vehicle with plate number GDD 440 TJ, a car suspected to have been snatched from an unsuspecting member of the public,” Ikenga said.
“During a search conducted in the vehicle, coolers for food preservation were found.
“The armed men were trailed after police operatives resisted an attack on a police checkpoint at Ajali, Orumba North Local Government Area.
“During the gun duel, one police personnel and one AVG operative sustained gunshot injuries and are currently responding to treatment in a hospital.
“Unfortunately, the two operational vehicles belonging to the AVG were caught up in fire and razed down completely.”
Ikenga added that joint security operations were ongoing in the area to apprehend the attackers, assuring the public that further updates would be provided.
