The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed that two police officers were killed on Thursday night after gunmen attacked a police checkpoint along Agbani Road in Enugu, setting a patrol vehicle on fire.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the police said the attack occurred on January 15, 2026, when suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), opened fire on a team of the Police Distress Response Squad.
According to the statement, the assailants launched the attack without provocation, prompting a swift response from the police officers at the checkpoint.
“The operatives responded promptly, forcing the assailants to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries,” the police said.
During the exchange of gunfire, the police patrol vehicle was set ablaze, while two officers sustained severe gunshot wounds. The injured officers were rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment but were later confirmed dead by medical personnel.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, ordered an intensified manhunt for the attackers and directed tactical and intelligence units to deploy all available resources to track down the fleeing suspects.
“The Commissioner of Police has charged operatives to leverage actionable intelligence and sustain the established trail to ensure that the assailants are arrested and brought to justice,” the statement added.
The police also confirmed the recovery of a Lexus 330 jeep allegedly used by the gunmen during the attack. The vehicle, which was reportedly snatched from its owner, was found riddled with bullet holes from the exchange of gunfire.
CP Giwa appealed to members of the public to provide credible information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects, assuring residents that informants’ identities would be protected. He reiterated the command’s resolve to ensure that violent criminal elements do not evade justice.
Security patrols have since been intensified in the area, while investigations into the attack are ongoing.
The incident comes weeks after a similar attack on December 27, 2025, when gunmen ambushed a police patrol team along Zik Avenue near Good Shepherd Specialist Hospital in the Uwani area of Enugu metropolis. Two officers, identified as Inspectors Valentine Iheme and Anayo Ede of the Distress Response Squad, were killed, and their patrol vehicle was set on fire.
Police sources said the officers were on routine patrol when they were attacked by about six armed men who arrived in an ash-coloured Lexus RX 350 SUV. The attackers reportedly opened fire at close range, killing the officers instantly before setting their patrol vehicle ablaze and stealing three AK-47 rifles loaded with live ammunition.
While police authorities have not officially linked the two incidents, senior officers said investigations were ongoing and described the attacks as possibly targeted.
