From Michael Ovat, Awka
A rare and terrifying eyewitness account has emerged from a local tricycle (Keke) operator, who narrowly escaped death during a sudden, violent ambush that left at least two police officers dead in Orumba North Local Government Area.
The deadly assault, which occurred on Sunday night along the Awa-Ndiukwuenu-Ufuma Road, threatens to rupture months of relative peace in Anambra State following sustained security crackdowns on armed gangs and separatist agitators.
The reality of the ambush was captured in a harrowing voice note shared on a local community platform by a tricycle operator who was actively plying the route when the gunmen struck.
The driver described the sheer panic of being caught in the middle of a sudden gun battle, forcing him to abandon his vehicle and flee into the surrounding forest for survival.
“I was riding along the road when I suddenly started hearing gunshots ahead, prompting me to dump my tricycle and head into the bush for safety,” the distressed eyewitness recounted.
“After some time, I came out of the bush, retrieved my Keke, and continued my journey.
“Then I got to the spot where the thing happened. Two policemen are lying on the road here, and their police van is parked by the roadside,” he recalled.
Driven by a desperate urge to save a life, the driver added that he recorded the audio message in hopes that it would urgently reach the police command.
“I decided to make this voice note… because I think one of the policemen is still alive, so that anyone who knows police authorities will tell them to go and save their members,” he pleaded.
According to local sources, the heavily armed unidentified gunmen accosted the police patrol team while they were on routine duty along the isolated stretch of road.
The assailants opened fire without warning, killing two officers on the spot before fleeing the scene.
The attack marks a worrying escalation for Anambra, which had enjoyed a significant reprieve from violent crime due to aggressive military and police operations targeting camps run by gunmen masquerading as Biafra agitators.
As of the time of filing this report, the official casualty count and the exact circumstances of the ambush remain unconfirmed by law enforcement.
Efforts to reach the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, were unsuccessful as his phone lines were unreachable, and the Command has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the incident or the status of the surviving officer mentioned by the eyewitness.
