Gunmen shot and killed two policemen while another officer sustained severe bullet wounds along the Obiri-Kwere axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday night.

It was gathered that the three policemen were attached to the Aluu Division in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state.

They were said to be on a routine stop-and-search operation at a security checkpoint along the Mbodo/Aluu axis of Obiri-Kwerre Road when the assailants opened fire at about 9 pm.

The gunmen immediately zoomed off in their vehicle after committing the act.

The incident came barely 24 hours after the Rivers State Police Command said it arrested a suspected high-profile criminal identified as Austine Emenike, who goes by the nickname “Oyibo,” and recovered one locally made pistol, four single-barrel guns, and five live cartridges.

The State Police spokesperson, in a statement on Monday, also said the arrested suspect, Emenike, is linked to a wider criminal network.

In the latest incident, a video circulating on social media shows the lifeless bodies of the officers still in their uniforms lying in pools of their own blood at the scene.

From the video seen by our correspondent, a voice from the background said the gunmen were robbing in the area before opening fire on the operatives and immediately took to their heels.

He stated, “You can see, it happened now. Armed robbers came here and robbed everybody. They killed these policemen. Look at their bodies.”

When contacted for her reaction on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the state police command, Blessing Agabe, confirmed the incident, saying that the investigation is ongoing.

Agabe, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, also said the state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, visited the scene on Tuesday morning alongside his management team for an on-the-spot assessment.

She stated, “Yes, I can confirm. Two of our men died, and the other one was injured and is receiving treatment in the Hospital.

“The Commissioner of Police, with other members of the command’s management team, visited the scene of the incident this morning to assess the situation, and the investigation is ongoing.” (PUNCH)