A police officer of the 29 Police Mobile Force, Awka, has been killed in a shootout that occurred during a stop-and-search operation along the Onitsha/Owerri Expressway, near the Danaks Filling Station, in Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The incident occurred late on Wednesday, sending panic to residents in the area and shop owners along the road as the shootings happened “suddenly and in a chaotic manner”.

The deceased, said to be an inspector, was part of a patrol team conducting routine checks along the road when they intercepted a Toyota Sienna vehicle said to be driving against traffic.

Some eyewitnesses near the scene said the police officers, unaware that the vehicle was being used by operatives suspected to be DSS personnel, flagged it down for a search, but the DSS personnel allegedly resisted the move, and in the ensuing altercation, opened fire which led to the shootings.

One of the eyewitnesses, a hawker near the scene, who craved anonymity, said, “The unmarked Toyota Sienna conveying the DSS operatives had emerged from a nearby track road and was driving against traffic, prompting the police patrol team to flag it down for questioning.

“However, the occupants allegedly declined to cooperate and instead opened fire on the police team, fatally hitting one of the officers, in his lower rib region.”

Our correspondent further gathered that the deceased was immediately rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala and subsequently referred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital in Nnewi, where he was confirmed dead upon arrival.

The spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the development when contacted on Thursday, described the development as distressing and appealed for calm, assuring that an investigation is already ongoing to unravel the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

“The deceased police officer, who was on duty at the checkpoint, was mistakenly fatally shot by operatives of a ‘friendly force’ who emerged from an unmarked Toyota Sienna vehicle dressed in black attire — a scene that initially triggered suspicion and led to the exchange of fire between the two security agencies.

“The situation had since been brought under control, while the case has been officially transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka for discreet and comprehensive investigation.

“The State Police Command, headed by CP Ikioye Orutugu, has urged the public to remain calm and trust the command’s ongoing efforts to get to the root of the matter. All necessary protocols were being followed to ensure justice, as well as to forestall a recurrence of such incidents,” Ikenga added.

He said the body of the deceased has since been deposited at the hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy.

The PUNCH reports that the development is coming barely two weeks after a police inspector, Okolie Amechi, attached to the Police Mobile Force 29 Squadron in Amansea, Awka, was accidentally shot dead by his 10-year-old son, who mistakenly pulled his AK-47 trigger which he kept.