Police, Civil Defence Officers Exchange Gunshots In Ebonyi, One Dies
Officers of the Special Weapons and Tactics of the Nigeria Police Force, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps engaged in gunshots at Mboro Ajaenyim Quarry site in Amaeze community, Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi. The gun battle left a police officer dead.
The incident occurred yesterday, August 27.
The Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Ebonyi Command, Emmanuella Ibeneme, an Assistant Superintendent of Corps, confirmed the incident today, August 28 in Abakaliki, saying that two civilians sustained gunshot injuries and were being hospitalized.
Ibeneme said that investigations were still ongoing to ascertain the cause of the incident.
“We are the security agency in charge of protecting critical national assets including mining sites and our men were deployed to provide security to the company owned by the Chinese.
“The men of the SWAT, Nigeria Police were drafted to the area; the information we received is that altercation ensued between the agencies leading to exchange of gun shots resulting in the death of a police officer and injury of two civilians.
“Investigation is ongoing to ascertain the actual cause of the sad incident to establish culpability.”
The Police Public Relations Officer in Ebonyi, DSP Joshua Ukandu, also confirmed the death of an officer, saying that investigation is ongoing to unravel the motive behind the obstruction of police sent to carry out lawful order leading to an officer’s death.
“Ebonyi Police arrested an NSCDC officer who obstructed lawful arrest at Ivo, attempted to seize a rifle and fatally shot a policeman.
“Investigation is ongoing; command warns against obstructing police duties.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of Amaeze Development Union, Ogbonna Nwaeni, said that the incident followed alleged forceful entry into the quarry site by Hephziba and Beulah Concepts Limited.
The chairman alleged that the company reportedly mobilised heavy equipment to the area without the consent of the host community.
Nwaeni said that the community was taken aback when the quarry operators allegedly gained access to the site with the support of Civil Defence personnel and some suspected dissident youths.
According to him, the development prompted him to alert the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi, who dispatched SWAT operatives to the scene.
“Information available to me confirmed that both security agencies went confrontational in their approaches, leading to an exchange of gunfire that resulted in the death of a police officer.
“The Hephziba and Beulah Concepts brought in equipment into the quarry site without meeting with the community leadership or landowners.
“They also came in with Civil Defence personnel who provided security cover, alongside some dissident youths that threatened to shoot any indigenes who attempted to obstruct the operations.”
He said that he reached out to the police command to prevent bloodshed in the community before the tragic incident occurred.
Source: NAN.
My Rekindled Respect For Nigerian Soldiers, By Maryam Bello Barkindo
Yes, accidents do happen everywhere: Yesterday, aboard the train bound for Kaduna from Abuja, I witnessed something that will stay with me always. The Accident! Wasn’t just a jarring physical upheaval—it became a moment of raw, human truth.
In the immediate aftermath, it was the Nigerian Army who truly showed up. They were there instantly – I watched as they shuttled the injured in their vehicles, moving victims from the station (ashams station with barely road access).
These men were not simply obeying orders—they were offering compassion. Their presence a source of comfort. They stood with us for hours, right at the heart of danger, offering more than rescue: they offered solace. Because of them, I will forever regard the Nigerian Army with renewed respect and gratitude.
In the midst of all that chaos to my utter shock!!! A stark contrast emerged. I saw the NEMA (Nigerian Emergency Management Agency) team arrive—by helicopter, at a time when the worst had passed. I saw police personnel, in their entourage. But not one of them spared a glance at us as they walked passed us to the accident site. There were no comforting words, no reassurance, no shared humanity. I kept thinking in my mind when I saw the news, felt like a cruel betrayal—gilded pictures of rescue without rescue, of presence without support.
Where were they at the time we needed them? The site of the accidebt was between kubwa and Gere! Very close to abuja!!! Their absence in those crucial moments was more extraordinary than their presence at all.
We were stranded, wounded, terrified. None of them turned back to us to ask: “Are you alright?” or “How can we help?” We were forgotten, even as their images were broadcast for show.
I left the site after three anxious hours—my family searching for me, and saw a NEMA ambulance on the road only after the army had done the work of rescue.
I asked myself: Is this how our system is meant to work?
This shouldn’t read as bitterness—it’s raw, aching longing. Longing for a Nigeria where institutional presence equals real care. Crafting our public image isn’t enough if it’s not backed by substance. And so here is my truth: I saw who truly matters in those moments of crisis. I know now, with unwavering clarity, whose faces represent security and solidarity—and whose represent optics.
I am profoundly grateful for each soldier who stood their ground and did all they did at the background while others took the credit. You know yourselves! To this country! let’s honor action over image. Let compassion—not entrenchment—define our response to disaster. Because at that moment, the difference between life and despair was not in uniforms or headlines—it was in hearts that chose to help!
Maryam Bello Barkindo posted the above on her Facebook page.