The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the shooting of three of its operatives at the Obiri-Ikwere area of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
The officers, who have since been hospitalised, were said to have been shot while chasing after suspected kidnappers on Monday.
It was learnt that the gunmen, who were dressed in army uniform, had abducted a yet-to-be-identified civilian, suspected to be a politician, and were fleeing when the policemen tried to intercept them but they (kidnappers) opened fire on them and escaped.
It was also gathered that an aide to the abductee and his driver were shot dead by the kidnappers.
Eyewitness account said: “I was sitting here (when) all of a sudden, I saw a vehicle blocking an escort. The first thing they did was to shoot the police escort, the one in the front.
“They also shot the driver and all of a sudden, the driver lost control.
“The police officers, one of them, his hand was destroyed as well as his back. Meanwhile, the other police officer, his hand, and his neck were affected. They rushed them to the hospital.
“They kidnapped the man. They took his money and everything inside his car. The armed robbers were in a Sienna vehicle, a new one, the latest Sienna, and it was a woman that drove it.
“It took more than two hours before police officers came and carried the vehicle and the people that were already dead. They (criminals) were completely dressed in army uniform.”
Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the State Commissioner of Police had ordered the deployment of a tactical unit to ensure the fleeing kidnappers were arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“No policeman was killed. Yes, they were injured. It was the driver and an aide to the man kidnapped that were fatally wounded.
“The policemen were shot and are receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
“The CP has ordered the deployment of tactical unit to ensure the rescue of the kidnap victim and arrest of the kidnappers,” Iringe-Koko stated.
