A police officer was killed and several others were injured in a fatal clash between Nigeria Police Force operatives and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Amaeze community, Ivo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.
The Chairman of the Ivo Local Government Council, Emmanuel Ajah, confirmed the occurrence on Wednesday night, saying he had been briefed by the Divisional Police Officer in the region about the terrible conflict between the two sister security organisations.
He said, “I was informed by the DPO that there was a clash involving the police and civil defence officers in the Amaeze community, and unfortunately, one police officer lost his life in the process.”
In an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, an eyewitness from the Amaeze community, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that the deceased policeman, known only as Shedrack and said to be an Inspector, was accidentally shot by his colleagues.
According to the source, tension erupted when three Hilux vehicles carrying about 30 police officers reportedly crossed and opened fire on an NSCDC truck transporting mining equipment to a site in Amaeze, killing the police officer.
He said, “In the course of the fracas, Shedrack allegedly attempted to disarm a civil defence officer. But when other policemen tried to shoot at the NSCDC operative, they mistakenly hit their colleague, who died on the spot, while some others sustained gunshot injuries.”
The body of the deceased police officer was reportedly put in a mortuary, while those injured were rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
As of the time of reporting this article on Thursday, neither the police nor the NSCDC authorities in Ebonyi State have issued any remarks regarding the incident.
