Bus driver knocks down policeman, snatches AK-47 in Enugu

The Enugu State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the driver and conductor of a Mitsubishi L300 commercial bus accused of assaulting police officers, knocking down an operative and briefly making away with an AK-47 rifle during an attempted arrest.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday, saying the two suspects are wanted for conspiracy, serious assault, dangerous driving, attempted murder and snatching of a police rifle.

According to the police, the incident occurred at about 1:20 p.m. on July 9 at the All Saints Roundabout along Abakaliki Road in Enugu.

Ndukwe said operatives of the Distress Response Squad responded after the command’s control room received information that the driver and conductor had allegedly assaulted a traffic police officer on duty.

He explained that the operatives intercepted and flagged down the commercial bus, but the driver allegedly refused to submit to arrest and instead attempted to flee.

“Rather than submitting to arrest, the driver deceptively slowed down before suddenly accelerating in an attempt to escape.

“In the process, he knocked down one of the operatives and dragged away the officer’s AK-47 rifle, which was entangled with the vehicle.

“During the ensuing pursuit, the suspects threw the rifle out of the vehicle at IMT Bus Stop along the same road before speeding off. The rifle was immediately recovered intact, with its ammunition,” the statement said.

Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Giwa, ordered a comprehensive investigation and directed operatives to intensify efforts to arrest and prosecute the fleeing suspects.

The police commissioner also called on the driver and conductor to surrender voluntarily, warning that all lawful measures were being deployed to track them down and bring them to justice.

Giwa further urged members of the public to disregard what he described as misleading accounts of the incident, stressing that assaulting or obstructing police officers in the lawful discharge of their duties constitutes a serious criminal offence.

He said anyone found culpable would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.