Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta and the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has commiserated with the police in the state and families of officers killed by gunmen in Anambra.

The State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, who briefed journalists on the issue on Saturday in Asaba, said the officers were ambushed and killed around 1:30 p.m. on Friday on Ihiala-Orlu Road en route to Umuahia while on official duty.

He named the killed officers as  Inspectors Lucky Aleh, Celestine Nwadiokwu and Jude Obuh, who were attached to the Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Unit in Government House, Asaba.

Mr Aniagwu described the unfortunate killing of the officers as barbaric and unacceptable in a country seeking to be united again for peace and development.

“The officers met their untimely death while they were proceeding as an advanced team for the PDP National Campaign Rally in Abia.

“Unfortunately, this particular team veered off from the convoy and took another route different from where the convoy was taking.

“They were ambushed along the Ihiala-Orlu Road en route Umuahia by non-state actors who eventually killed three of them in police uniform while the one on mufti escaped,” he said.

He added that the government had reached out to the deceased’s family.

He said that the state government delayed announcing their untimely death because efforts were being made to reach out to their families before making the announcement.

Mr Aniagwu called on security agencies in the country to fish out the killers and bring them to book so that Nigerians can once again live peacefully in any part of the country.

“We must also plead with our brothers and sisters who may have taken guns on the account of what they see as agitation to know that the best way to help our people is to allow peace to reign,” he said.

According to him, that way, development will take place in the South-East.

He added, “We will also take steps to seek justice on their behalf by impressing it upon security agencies to take steps to unravel those who have caused  this pain that is in our heart today.” 

(NAN)