Personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ezeonye Ozuzu, was reportedly killed on Monday while engaging hoodlums who were forcefully enforcing the sit-at-home directive of the Indigenous People of Biafra in Imo State.
The officer was said to be among the task force team deployed to Anambra State a few hours after the burning of the DSS office in Nnewi, according to a family source. He was said to have been killed while returning to his station.
Mr Dan Opara, a relation to the deceased, told Daily Sun that their family got to know of his death when a report came from the DSS office in Owerri, informing them of the death of Ozuzu, allegedly killed by gunmen at Ukwu-Orji, along the Owerri-Onitsha road.
But the family, according to Opara, got another twist to the report when they saw three bullet wounds, contrary to one reported to them by the DSS, at their office, which he said prompted them to dig further into the incident.
Opara said the initial report received by the family was that gunmen, who engaged the task force team in a gun duel at Ukwu-Orji, had killed the DSS officer, said to be the driver of the team. But another report claimed that the 34-year-old DSS officer from Umuoyo, Irete, in Owerri West Council Area of the state, was killed by an accidental discharge from a member of the team of the task force.
Meanwhile, the corpse of the officer, the deceased cousin said, has been deposited at the mortuary.
When contacted, the state police spokesperson, Michael Abattam, said he was not aware of the incident.
