By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the successful recovery of a vehicle that was earlier snatched and used by armed criminals during an attack on a police patrol team in Umuoji, Idemili North Local Government Area of the state.
This update was contained in an official press statement issued on Thursday, November 27, 2025, by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who also disclosed that a coordinated state-wide manhunt has now been intensified for the fleeing gunmen.
According to the police spokesperson, the recovered vehicle is a white Mercedes-Benz SUV which was forcefully taken by the attackers during their violent operation. The vehicle, he said, was abandoned by the suspects after a fierce confrontation with combined teams of police tactical operatives.
SP Ikenga explained that the recovery followed a hot pursuit operation carried out by a joint team of operatives from the Operations Department, Awka, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Awkuzu, and the Special Anti-Cultism Squad (SPACS), Enugu-Ukwu. The police teams, according to him, had been trailing the armed criminals who earlier attacked a police patrol team at Eziowelle along the Umuoji Road axis.
The police pursuit, he said, took a decisive turn when the fleeing criminals ran into a police convoy which promptly joined the engagement. The convoy immediately aligned with the pursuing operatives and engaged the gunmen in a fierce exchange of gunfire.
According to the him, under intense pressure from the combined police teams, the armed hoodlums were forced to abandon the snatched white Mercedes-Benz SUV and flee into nearby areas, leaving the vehicle behind.
The PPRO further confirmed that one police operative sustained a minor gunshot injury during the encounter. However, he is said to be in stable condition and currently receiving medical attention at a health facility.
Preliminary information made available by the Command revealed that the police officers in the convoy involved in the operation are escorts attached to Senator Chris Ngige, a former Governor of Anambra State and former Minister of Labour and Employment, who, though, was not in the convoy at the time.
SP Ikenga stated that the recovered vehicle has been secured and taken into police custody for further investigation, even as efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing gunmen and dismantle their operational network.
He stressed that operatives of the Command have consequently launched a coordinated state-wide manhunt aimed at arresting the suspects and preventing further attacks across the state.
The Anambra State Police Command also reassured residents of its commitment to safeguarding lives and property while maintaining sustained pressure on criminal elements operating within the state.
“Further developments shall be communicated, please,” he concluded.
