Police officer killed in Lamu, weeks after attempted raid on security camps
Police Constable Fredrick Okelele Shikuku was ambushed by unknown assailants who shot him in the groin area, with the bullet passing through his upper right thigh.
Security agencies in terror-prone Boni Forest are investigating an incident where a police officer attached to an elite operations group died after sustaining gunshot wounds.
Police Constable Fredrick Okelele Shikuku was ambushed by unknown assailants who shot him in the groin area, with the bullet passing through his upper right thigh.
PC Shikuku was among a team of Border Patrol Unit (BPU) officers who were returning to the Mararani Special Operations Group (SOG) camp after a patrol mission in the area when the ambush and subsequent shooting occurred on Monday at around 7:30pm.
Mararani is part of the vast Boni Forest region affected by recurrent incidents of Al-Shabaab attacks and ambushes. The government is currently undertaking a multi-agency security Operation Amani Boni (OAB) in the area and towards the Kenya-Somalia border to flush out Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding inside the dense forest.
Lamu County Police Commander Shadrack Ruto confirmed the death of the police officer, noting that he succumbed to the gunshot wounds.
“We have the report of a police officer who died after he was shot. He succumbed to his injuries after some hours. The incident is under investigation to ascertain the motive of the shooting. So far, we can’t confirm whether it’s Al-Shabaab or anything else. But we’re investigating and getting details about the same,” said Mr Ruto.
No arrest has been made, with security agencies interviewed believing that the attackers may have monitored the deceased’s movements before striking.
About two weeks ago, on October 23 and 24, respectively, suspected Al-Shabaab militants had tried to gain entry into Mararani and Bodhei security camps but were repulsed by security agencies manning the areas.
In June this year, a Special Operations Group (SOG) police officer was also found dead in his quarter at the Mararani Camp at around 11am. The incident was treated as a suspected case of suicide since the deceased was alone in the house.
Fellow officers stationed at the camp had just heard a loud bang, believed to have been a gunshot coming from the deceased’s quarters.
On rushing in, they found the Administration Police Constable (APC) lying lifeless on his bed, with a gunshot wound under the chin, and the bullet exiting through the top of his head.
The latest incident of the shooting and killing of the police officer comes at a time when authorities have, on several occasions, come out to assure citizens that security in the region has been stabilised.
In a recent interview with the Nation, Lamu County Commissioner Stephen Sangolo maintained that multi-agency operations have successfully neutralised organised extremist networks, framing remaining insurgent ambushes as isolated incidents.
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