Enugu: Gunmen attack police checkpoint, two officers killed

IGP Egbetokun

The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed that gunmen attacked a police checkpoint along Agbani Road on Thursday night, killing two police officers and setting a patrol vehicle ablaze.

According to the command, the attack occurred on January 15, 2026, when suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), opened fire on operatives of the Police Distress Response Squad stationed at the checkpoint.

“The criminal elements suddenly opened fire on the police team without provocation. The operatives responded promptly, forcing the assailants to flee with varying degrees of gunshot injuries,” SP Daniel Ndukwe, the command’s spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday.

During the exchange of gunfire, the police operational vehicle was engulfed in flames, while two officers sustained critical gunshot wounds. They were rushed to a hospital for urgent medical care but were later pronounced dead by attending medical personnel. Punch