Gunmen ambush police team, kill DPO in Delta

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have shot dead a divisional police officer (DPO) in Delta State, south-south Nigeria.

The police spokesperson in Delta, Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria incident happened on Monday in Agbarho Community in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.

The DPO, identified simply as Jega, was a chief superintendent of police in charge of the Agbarho Division in Ughelli North.

Mr Edafe, a superintendent of police, said the slain DPO, in the company of the DPO for Orerokpe Division, Paul Obaware, and other police operatives, went for an operation in Agbarho Community when suspected kidnappers ambushed the police team and opened fire on them, killing the DPO.

The police spokesperson confirmed that Mr Obaware, a chief superintendent of police, was now in a stable condition.

A source at Agbarho said that the slain DPO assumed duty last Thursday.

The source added that the attack occurred at about 1:00 a.m. on Monday in the neighbourhood of the Agbarho train station.

Meanwhile, a human rights activist, Israel Joe, has expressed shock over the killing of the officer.

“I feel very pained about this development,” Mr Joe said. “This was the same DPO I spoke with on Sunday about the conduct of his men, and he resolved the situation immediately.

The rights activist expressed his condolences to the commissioner of police in Delta State, the police authorities in Nigeria, and the family of the slain officer.

He urged the police to ensure that those responsible for the killing are brought to book.

(NAN)