Three people, including two gunmen and a security operative, lost their lives on Thursday night following a gun battle at a police checkpoint in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.

 

The shootout ensued when armed assailants launched an attack on a joint security team stationed at the checkpoint. During the exchange of gunfire, two of the attackers were killed, while one security officer was fatally wounded.

 

Confirming the incident, the Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, stated that one of the security patrol vehicles was set ablaze by the attackers. However, the criminals were forced to abandon one of their own operational vehicles—a Toyota Sienna—before fleeing the scene.

 

Ikenga said, “One of the Anambra Joint Security Teams, in the late hours of May 15, 2025, repelled an attack by armed criminals at a checkpoint in Isuofia. Two of the gunmen were neutralized, and unfortunately, one security operative was killed in the line of duty.”

 

He added, “The hoodlums managed to set one of our operational vehicles on fire, but due to the superior firepower of the security team, the assailants abandoned their Sienna van and escaped into the bush.”

 

Reacting to the attack, Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, condemned the incident, describing it as a challenge to the collective will of Anambra residents to rid the state of criminal elements. He vowed that the perpetrators would be tracked down and brought to justice.

 

The police also assured residents that calm has been restored to the area. Security presence has been bolstered, with additional personnel deployed to comb the surrounding bushes in search of the fleeing suspects.

 

Further updates on the situation are expected to be provided by the authorities in due course.