The Enugu State Police Command has commenced a search for the driver and conductor of a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus accused of attacking police officers, engaging in reckless driving and allegedly taking away a police rifle.
The Command’s spokesperson, Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the incident happened around 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, at All Saints Roundabout along Abakaliki Road, Enugu.
According to the police, the suspects first attacked a traffic officer before attempting to escape from the scene. Officers from the Command’s Distress Response Squad (DRS), acting on information from the Control Room, later intercepted the vehicle.
The police alleged that the driver initially slowed down as though he intended to comply with the arrest but suddenly accelerated in a bid to flee. During the escape attempt, he reportedly struck an officer and dragged away the officer’s AK-47 rifle after it got caught on the vehicle.
The Command said the suspects later threw the rifle out of the moving vehicle near IMT Bus Stop on Abakaliki Road during a chase. The weapon was recovered with its ammunition intact.
The fleeing driver and conductor are being investigated for alleged offences including conspiracy, assault on police personnel, dangerous driving, attempted murder and unlawful possession of a police rifle.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and directed officers to intensify efforts to arrest the suspects and bring them to justice.
Giwa also called on the driver and conductor to turn themselves in for questioning, warning that the Command would use all legal means available to ensure their arrest.
He further urged residents to ignore what he described as false accounts of the incident and cautioned members of the public against attacking or obstructing police officers performing their official duties.
Police Declare Enugu Bus Driver, Conductor Wanted Over Alleged Attack On Officers, Rifle Theft
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