A Department of State Services operative attached to the office of the Chief Medical Director of Federal University of Technology Owerri was fatally shot by armed terrorists during a violent ambush along the Okigwe-Umuna highway last Saturday.
Vanguard reported that the attack targeted the convoy of FUTO’s CMD, Dr. Kingsley Achigbu, as they returned from Enugu.
“The family of FUTO CMD, Dr. Kingsley Achigbu, escaped death by whiskers last Saturday, on their way home, from Enugu,” the source revealed.
The assailants laid siege along the busy Owerri-Okigwe highway, unleashing a barrage of bullets that disabled the family’s Hilux vehicle.
“The tyres of the Hilux vehicle was flattened by the rampaging terrorists’ bullets and the occupants, who were already suffering from varying degrees of injuries, made good their escape into the nearby bushes,” the source added.
After failing to capture the fleeing family members, the terrorists reportedly returned to the immobilized vehicle and set it ablaze. The attack left three police officers injured, with one requiring emergency surgery.
“One, out of the other three injured police officers, who were in the FUTO CMD’s family convoy, was quickly wheeled into the hospital for an emergency surgery,” the source confirmed.
In a positive development, the Hilux driver initially reported missing – identified only as Austine – has since reunited with the family. All security personnel managed to escape with their firearms intact.
Security reinforcements were promptly deployed following the attack. “On getting news of the attack, some armed security personnel were quickly drafted to the area and the injured police men were located and moved to hospital,” the source stated.
Neither the police, DSS, nor FUTO management had issued an official statement regarding the incident at the time of publication. The attack highlights the growing security challenges along major highways in the region, coming just days after similar violent incidents were reported in the area.
