The Enugu State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the driver and conductor of a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus over their alleged involvement in the assault of police officers, attempted murder, dangerous driving and the temporary snatching of a police rifle.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement made available to DAILY GAZETTE on Sunday.
According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on July 9, 2026, at All Saints Roundabout along Abakaliki Road, Enugu.
Ndukwe explained that operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad (DRS) responded to information from the Control Room that the driver and conductor had assaulted a traffic police officer on duty.
The operatives intercepted and flagged down the commercial bus, but rather than submit to arrest, the driver allegedly pretended to stop before suddenly accelerating in an attempt to escape.
In the process, one of the police operatives was knocked down by the vehicle, while the officer’s AK-47 rifle became entangled with the bus and was dragged away as the suspects fled the scene.
The police spokesperson said that during the ensuing chase, the suspects threw the rifle out of the moving vehicle at the IMT Bus Stop along Abakaliki Road before speeding off. The weapon was immediately recovered by police officers with its ammunition intact.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, ordered a comprehensive investigation and directed operatives to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute the fleeing suspects.
The Commissioner also urged the driver and conductor to voluntarily surrender to the police, warning that every lawful measure is being deployed to ensure their arrest.
He further called on members of the public to disregard what he described as misleading accounts of the incident, while cautioning against assaulting or obstructing police officers in the lawful discharge of their duties.
According to him, attacks on law enforcement officers constitute serious criminal offences and will be dealt with decisively in accordance with the law.
