DSS Kills Police Inspector in Anambra Stop-and-Search

A police inspector attached to the 29 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Awka, was fatally shot during a stop-and-search operation at Uli, Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State, on June 24. The incident, which occurred around 5:50 p.m. along the Onitsha/Owerri Expressway near Danaks Filling Station, appears to be a case of mistaken identity involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to sources, a team of mobile police officers on highway patrol flagged down an unmarked Toyota Sienna vehicle that was driving against traffic after emerging from a nearby track road. The suspicious behavior prompted the officers to attempt a search.

Eyewitnesses among the police officers reported that the vehicle’s occupants, dressed in black uniforms and armed with assault rifles, refused to comply, resulting in an altercation. The occupants then opened fire, fatally wounding Inspector Bello Abdulahi in the lower rib.

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Inspector Abdulahi was initially taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Ihiala before being referred to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, where he was confirmed dead on arrival. His body has been preserved at the hospital morgue pending autopsy.

The attackers, identified as DSS operatives attached to the Ihiala Local Government Secretariat, fled the scene immediately after the shooting. The DSS headquarters in Awka has been notified, and an official investigation has been launched to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding the tragic event.

This incident has raised urgent calls for enhanced coordination and communication between security agencies to prevent future misunderstandings and casualties.

Note: As of this publication, no further official statements have been released. Updates will follow as more information becomes available.