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.
‎