Police smoke out bandits who killed two Inspectors, MOPOL, injured ASP

Juliana Francis

The Delta State Police Command said it has killed and arrested two others believed to be among suspected bandits that attacked and killed three policemen in the state on Sunday and carted away their rifles.

Spokesman of the Command, Bright Edafe, said the Police recovered three AK47 rifles and one assault rifle from them.

Edafe said: “In response to the attack on Police operatives attached to the Dragon Patrol Team on 23rd of July 2023, at about 11:40 am, while on Stop and Search duty at Oleh Roundabout by suspected bandits, who shot and killed two operatives and set the patrol vehicle ablaze, the Commissioner of Police, Delta State, CP Wale Abass, detailed a combined team of Policemen attached to Ozoro Area command, Dragon Patrol to go after the attackers.”

Edafe explained that with the support of troops from 63 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and members of the local vigilante group, the police swung into action.

He stated that during the operation, the combined team engaged them in a serious gun duel and subdued the hoodlums who fled into the bush after sustaining gunshot injuries inflicted gunshot injuries. 

Edafe added: “The team traced their blood to a river where one AK-47 rifle was recovered on the same date of the incident. 

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“The response team sustained the tempo and continued the operation on the 24th of July 2023. Acting on credible intelligence, they stormed the Erewa community bush in Isoko North Local Government Area, where they engaged the remnant of the bandits in a serious gun duel, neutralised one of them, arrested two others, recovered two more AK-47 rifles, one Assault rifle, four magazines, and 12 (7.62 AK-47) ammunition. Effort is still on to track down other members of the syndicate.”

He noted that CP Abass has assured residents that the Command will not relent in the fight against crime and criminality while counting on the support from well-meaning Deltans in ensuring that the State is safe for all.

A Situation Report sighted by our reporter stated: “On Sunday 23rd of July 2023, at about 12:30 am, team of dragon police personnel’s led by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Chuks Ijeh on stop and search at I.D.U Roundabout Oleh, while it started raining the officers sheltered themselves in an abandoned filling station close to checkpoint, armed men suspected to be arm robbers numbering about six walked out from Olomoro bush shooting sporadically on the patrol men, one Inspector Monday Orowhigoh, Inspector Festus Obey and a mobile man on escort duty died on the spot while ASP Chuks Ijeh sustained injuries. The hoodlums made away with their rifles and burnt down the patrol vehicle. The corpses have  been deposited at General Hospital Mortuary Oleh.”