Trending 
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, dangerous driving, attempted murder and snatching of a police rifle.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, July 9, at All Saints Roundabout along Abakaliki Road in Enugu.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said the suspects allegedly assaulted a traffic officer before fleeing the scene.
He explained that operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad responded to information received from the police Control Room and intercepted the commercial bus.
According to the police, the driver initially appeared to comply by slowing down but suddenly accelerated in an attempt to evade arrest.
During the escape, the vehicle allegedly knocked down one of the operatives, while the officer’s AK-47 rifle became entangled with the bus and was dragged away.
The police said the suspects later threw the rifle from the moving vehicle near the IMT Bus Stop along Abakaliki Road before continuing their escape.
Officers promptly recovered the rifle with its ammunition intact.
The command said the fleeing driver and conductor are wanted for alleged offences, including conspiracy, assault on police officers, dangerous driving, attempted murder and the snatching of a police firearm.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, ordered a full-scale investigation and directed operatives to intensify efforts to apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice.
He also urged the driver and conductor to surrender themselves for investigation, warning that all lawful measures were being deployed to secure their arrest.
The commissioner further appealed to residents to ignore what he described as misleading accounts of the incident and cautioned members of the public against assaulting or obstructing police officers while carrying out their lawful duties.
