Three officers killed as ‘hoodlums’ attack police patrol team in Akwa Ibom

Ben Ajide, a chief superintendent of police (CSP) and commander of the quick intervention unit of the police command in Akwa Ibom, has been killed. 

The commander, and two other officers, were killed in a violent clash with suspected hoodlums in Essien Udim LGA of the state.

Odiko MacDon, the command’s public relations officer, said four other officers are still missing. 

He said the policemen had gone to the area to maintain peace when they came under attack on Wednesday. 

“The Commissioner of Police, Amiengheme Andrew, is deeply saddened by the unprovoked attack on security personnel who were out maintaining the peace yesterday, 30th March, 2021 which led to the demise of CSP Ben Ajide who was the Commander of the Command’s Quick Intervention Unit and two others, while four others are missing,” he said in a statement.

“Whereas the remote and immediate causes of these unprovoked attacks are unknown, a discreet investigation is on the way to unravel the same and seek a lasting solution.”

He said the commissioner has condoled with the family of the slain officers and assured that those behind the attack would be brought to justice.

He also appealed to the public to turn in useful information that would lead to the arrest of those responsible for the attack.

The attack comes weeks after a divisional police station in Essien Udim was attacked by gunmen. 

The gunmen invaded the police station in the early hours of Monday and burnt the offices, including vehicles and motorcycles parked within the station.

Earlier, some hoodlums in the area had attacked members of the quick response squad at Ikpe Annang junction and burnt a police inspector while he was inside a patrol vehicle.

There have been a series of attacks on the police in recent weeks, especially in Anambra state where police stations and patrol teams had come under attacks by gunmen.