There was disquiet in Enugu on Monday as the State Commissioner for Lands, Chidi Aroh, escaped death by the whiskers as gunmen attacked him and killed two police orderlies.

The incident happened on Sunday evening when Aroh was returning from the neighbouring Anambra State, where he was said to have attended a meeting on Saturday.

Although the Anambra State Police Command confirmed the incident, it, however, said the whereabouts of the policemen were yet to be known.

Meanwhile, police sources told our correspondent that the two policemen were killed when the gunmen ambushed the Commissioner.

According to one of the sources, the gunmen reportedly opened fire on his convoy and when the policemen engaged the hoodlums in exchange of gunfire they were killed and their guns taken away.

The source gave the names of the orderlies killed as Inspectors David Adabu and one Solomon.

According to the source, “The gunmen ambushed their Hilux van in a community in Anambra, shot and killed the two policemen. The Commissioner was lucky to have escaped in his Jeep because their Hilux van was riddled with bullets.

When the spokesman of the Anambra Command, Ikenga Tochukwu, was contacted via mobile phone, he confirm the incident.

According to a WhatsApp message he sent to our correspondent the two policemen attached to the Commissioner engaged the gunmen which led to the escape of their principal.

He simply said, “What happened yesterday (Sunday) is an example of the sacrifice security agents, especially police personnel, pay in providing security services.

“Meanwhile, the police operatives attached to the Commissioner of Lands engaged the gunmen which made their principal (the Commissioner) escape with his driver.

“The Command on receipt of the information has since deployed operatives in that area, the whereabouts of the two police personnel are still yet unknown and operation is still ongoing.”

Tochukwu, however, promised to update our correspondent when he got more details on the incident.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Commissioner on Monday evening were unsuccessful as he did not answer his calls.

Punch