Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has killed two suspected kidnappers and armed robbers during an intelligence-led operation along Eziowelle Road, recovering an AK-47 rifle, a pump-action gun and ammunition from the scene.
The operation, carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, followed credible intelligence that a group of suspected criminals had been sighted along the road.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, swiftly mobilised to the area after receiving the information.
He said the suspects opened fire on the operatives on sighting the police team, resulting in a gun duel.
“During the ensuing encounter, two of the suspects sustained fatal gunshot injuries, while other members of the gang fled the scene with varying degrees of gunshot wounds,” Ikenga said.
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.
The Command said it had intensified efforts to track down the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal network.
“Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led and proactive operations against kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes across the state,” the statement said.
The police said investigations into the incident are ongoing, adding that further developments would be communicated as they unfold.
