Two policemen on duty and an unarmed passer-by met their untimely deaths Tuesday morning when yet-to-be-identified gunmen took them unawares and shot them dead in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.
An eyewitness said the incident occurred at Ama-John Junction, along Okigwe Road in Owerri.
A resident of the area told our correspondent that the gunmen attacked in the early hours of Tuesday, taking the officers on duty unawares.
The incident, according to him, has created panic in the area as motorists and passengers plying the busy Okigwe Road have deserted the route for fear of the unknown.
“There was serious panic this morning. some minutes after 6am within Akabo (Ama-John) axis along Okigwe Road as group of bandits shot and killed two policemen on duty and a passerby. There were four armed gunmen on the (Toyota) Sienna bus who zoomed their way to Okigwe after shooting the officers. As I speak, the road is scanty. Drivers and passengers taking the Okigwe Road have stopped far away to allow the situation to calm down,” he stated.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said he was yet to be briefed on the incident.