A violent confrontation broke out on Sunday between Nigerian soldiers and police officers returning from election duty in Onitsha, Anambra State, leaving several policemen injured.
The incident occurred at a military checkpoint along the Onitsha Road, where police personnel deployed for Saturday’s governorship election were said to have had an altercation with soldiers manning the post.
Eyewitnesses said that the disagreement escalated rapidly, prompting the soldiers to open fire on the policemen.
“We were on our way back from the Anambra election when we had a misunderstanding with some soldiers at the checkpoint,” a police officer who narrowly escaped being hit told PLATFORM TIMES.
“Before we knew what was happening, they started shooting. One of our colleagues was hit in the chest and several others were injured.”
The gunfire reportedly triggered chaos in the area as both security teams exchanged heated words before backup units were called to restore order.
Unconfirmed reports indicated that the confrontation later degenerated into a brief riot, forcing motorists and commuters to scamper for safety.
The Anambra State Police Command and the Nigerian Army authorities have yet to issue official statements on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Over 45,000 police officers were deployed across Anambra for the November 8 governorship election, which was won by the incumbent governor, Prof. Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Soludo polled 422,664 votes, defeating Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 37,753 and 8,208 votes respectively.
Security tensions have been high in parts of the state following the election, with residents calling for restraint among security operatives to prevent further clashes.
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