Murder: Gunmen behead Police ASP in Aba as fear grips residents

BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Aba the commercial nerve of Igbo land was thrown into mourning on Tuesday as unknown gunmen reportedly killed and beheaded an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) at Ndiegoro in the metropolis.

It was also learnt that the suspected hoodlums have threatened to further deal with residents of the area.

Reports had it that the senior police officer was gruesomely murdered in the early morning of Tuesday with his head cut off along East Street, Aba before moving away with his gun and uniform.

Police source said the murder of the ASP might not be unconnected with the neutralization of the leader of the criminals during a gun battle on Sunday April 23, this year.

The criminal had on that fateful day opened fire the moment they sighted to police making the security operatives to give them a hot chase up to the Orji Uzor-Kalu bridge linking Ngwa Road, Pepples Road and with Akpu Road where they began to exchange of gun fire.

Further checks revealed that the king pin unable to face the superior fireworks of the police, jumped into the Aba River trying to escape through the Ovom/Azumini link of the river before he was killed.

A resident who spoke anonymously told our correspondent that the gruesome killing on Tuesday has sent many residents of East Street, Ngwa Road, Akpu Road, Ndoki Street, Etche Road, and Ulasi Road all within the Ndiegoro axis into panic as the criminals were said to have threatened that police and residents will have no peace.

As at time of going to press, efforts to get reaction from the Abia State Police Command to the incident were not fruitful as the State Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, did not respond to calls.

Editor

Jude Ossai (JP) a veteran journalist is a National Diploma holder in Mass Communication from Ogwashi-Uku Polytechnic Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State. He also studied at Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Enugu and Imo State University, Owerri for his first and second degrees in Mass Communication, respectively. He writes extensively on politics, crime, corruption, climate change, healthcare, human rights, social justice, among others.