A fracas in Amaeze community, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has left a policeman dead.
It was gathered that the clash involved operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.
Apart from the deceased policeman, several others were said to have been left injured.
Chairman of Ivo LGA, Emmanuel Ajah, confirmed the incident on Thursday.
He said he was briefed by the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, of Ivo Division about the bloody confrontation between the two sister security agencies.
“I was informed by the DPO that there was a clash involving the police and civil defence officers in Amaeze community, and unfortunately, one police officer lost his life in the process,” Ajah stated.
Meanwhile, eyewitnesses from Amaeze community, who pleaded anonymity, alleged that the deceased policeman, identified as Shedrack, may have been mistakenly shot by his colleagues.
According to the source, trouble erupted when three Toyota Hilux vans conveying about 30 policemen reportedly double crossed and opened fire on an NSCDC van conveying mining equipment to a site in Amaeze.
“In the course of the fracas, Shedrack allegedly attempted to disarm a civil defence officer but when other policemen tried to shoot at the NSCDC operative, they mistakenly hit their colleague, who died on the spot, while some others sustained gunshot injuries,” the source said.
The dead police officer has been deposited in the morgue, while those injured were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The police and NSCDC authorities in Ebonyi are yet to issue official statements on the incident as at press time.
However, the incident has heightened tension in the area.
