A police inspector attached to the Department of Operations (DOPS) of the Imo State Police Command has been killed in what investigators are describing as a coordinated attack, with his service rifle stolen from the scene.
The victim, identified as Inspector Henry Effiong, was on guard duty at the No. 1 Sokom Villa residence of Hon. Chief Bar Rex Anunobi, the Imo State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, when he was attacked in the early hours of Monday.
According to police sources, the alarm was first raised around 7:00 a.m. by a housekeeper at the residence, identified as Solomon Uzobu, who discovered the officer’s body.
The commissioner was reportedly notified shortly afterwards and immediately alerted police at about 8:00 a.m.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that a security man attached to the house… is suspected to have connived with unknown assailants by granting access to the house,” a police source said, describing how the attackers allegedly bound the inspector’s legs, dragged him toward the bathing area, and killed him with a sharp object suspected to be a machete.
The attackers made away with the inspector’s rifle and mobile phone. Officers who responded to the scene recovered an empty magazine and a walkie-talkie, which have since been handed over to the Area Commander of Operations.
The prime suspect, a security guard identified only as Genesis, said to be from Taraba State, is now wanted by police. “It is discovered that the security man, after the incident, packed all his belongings, switched off his phone and absconded with the hoodlums,” the source added.
The inspector’s remains have been deposited at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Owerri, for preservation.
Police say efforts are “in top gear” to track down the suspects, recover the stolen firearm, and establish the full circumstances of the killing. Further updates are expected as the investigation continues.
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