By Sam Otuonye
The Enugu State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the driver and conductor of a commercial bus for snatching of a police rifle, conspiracy, dangerous driving, and attempted murder.
According to the Command, the incident occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on July 9, 2026, at All Saints Roundabout, along Abakaliki Road, Enugu.
The statement by the PPRO, SP Daniel Ndukwe on Sunday, July 12, explained that the Command acted on information received from the Command’s Control Room that the driver and conductor had assaulted a traffic police officer on duty.
Operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad (DRS) intercepted and flagged down the vehicle.
However, instead of submitting to arrest, the driver deceptively slowed down before suddenly accelerated, in an attempt to escape and in the process, knocked down one of the operatives, and dragged away the officer’s AK-47 rifle which had entangled with the vehicle. During the ensuing pursuit, the suspects threw the rifle out of the vehicle at IMT Bus Stop along the same road before speeding off. The rifle was immediately recovered intact, with its ammunition.
The statement said that the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has ordered a comprehensive investigation and intensified efforts to arrest and prosecute the fleeing suspects.
He warned the driver and conductor to voluntarily present themselves to the police for proper investigation, as every lawful measure is being deployed to apprehend them.
Giwa further urged the public to disregard misleading narratives surrounding the incident, and cautioned against assaulting or obstructing police officers in the lawful discharge of their duties, stressing that such acts are serious criminal offences that will be dealt with decisively in accordance with the law.