Inspector killed as police, NSCDC clash in Ebonyi

NSCDC officers

A police officer was killed while several others sustained some injuries in a deadly clash between operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Amaeze community, in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Confirming the incident on Wednesday night, the Chairman of the Ivo Local Government council, Emmanuel Ajah, said he was briefed by the Divisional Police Officer in the area about the tragic confrontation between the two sister security agencies.

He said, “I was informed by the DPO that there was a clash involving the police and civil defence officers in the Amaeze community, and unfortunately, one police officer lost his life in the process.”

An eyewitness from the Amaeze community, who pleaded anonymity, in an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, alleged that the deceased policeman, identified simply as Shedrack, said to be an Inspector, might have been mistakenly shot by his colleagues.

According to the source, tension erupted when three Hilux vans conveying about 30 policemen reportedly crossed and opened fire on the NSCDC van conveying mining equipment to a site in Amaeze, resulting in the death of the police officer.

He said, “In the course of the fracas, Shedrack allegedly attempted to disarm a civil defence officer. But when other policemen tried to shoot at the NSCDC operative, they mistakenly hit their colleague, who died on the spot, while some others sustained gunshot injuries.”

The dead police officer’s body is said to have been deposited in the morgue, while those injured are said to have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Both the police and NSCDC authorities in Ebonyi State have yet to issue official statements on the incident, as of the time of filing this report on Thursday. Punch