Four police officers killed in Calabar – Official

Four police officers were on Thursday killed by gunmen in Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria’s South-south.

The police spokesperson in the state, Irene Ugbo, confirmed the killing of the officers, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The officers were reportedly killed along MCC Road, Calabar. Their identity and details surrounding the killings are unknown for now.

Ms Ugbo, a deputy superintendent of police, said the police in the state have been thrown into grief by the incident which she said was “very bitter and ugly.”

“The killers would not have a place to hide as the force would fish them out and serve justice on them,” she said.

“It is quite unfortunate. We feel really sad. The Command is in mourning over the death of the four officers who lost their lives.

“We are investigating the matter and will surely root out the culprits, no matter how far they run or hide. We must get them and that I can assure you,” the police spokesperson she said.

The latest killing brings to five the number of police officers killed in the state in the last three months.

An assistant commissioner of police, Egbe Edum, was brutally killed with a machete by some yet-to-be-identified hoodlums in Calabar in December.

The slain officer served in the northern part of Nigeria and was on his way to visit his family when he was attacked.

The Thursday killing of the four officers underscores the insecurity in Cross River, once a peaceful state and a choice destination for both local and international tourists.

In a move to rid the state of crimes, the Cross River State Government recently set up a security outfit called Operation Akpakwu which is made up of the Nigerian Army, the police, and other security agencies.

The security outfit has been pulling down buildings, including hotels, linked to crimes in the state.

Two police officers were similarly killed about five days ago in Akwa Ibom State, also in the South-south, when suspected cultists attacked a police checkpoint in Essien Udim Local Government Area of the state.

Early this month, some gunmen killed a mobile police officer in Warri, Delta State and fled with his rifle.

There have also been a series of attacks on police officers and police facilities in Nigeria’s South-east states of Abia, Ebonyi, Imo, and Anambra lately.

The Nigerian Army recently recovered the corpse of four of its officers allegedly killed by the pro-Biafra group, IPOB, in Orlu, Imo State.

Several Nigerian states are grappling with severe security challenges which has prompted some Nigerians to call for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari.

(NAN)