TheCable

Three police officers have been shot dead in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.

The gunmen were said to have attacked the officers around 8pm on Wednesday at a checkpoint on Onuebonyi/Nwezenyi Road, Abakaliki.

The officers were rushed to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital where they were confirmed dead.

Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.

The Ebonyi police command confirmed the killing of the three operatives.

Loveth Odah, the Ebonyi police spokesperson, said the gunmen pretended to be holding a burial rite before they carried out the attack.

She said they drove around the area in a tricycle before opening fire on the policemen.

“Right now, investigation is ongoing and we are committed to bringing the perpetrators to book,” she said.

Odah appealed to the public to support the fight against crime by providing useful information to the police and other security agencies in the state.

The attack comes on the heels of the establishment of the south-east regional security outfit, Ebube Agu.