A police inspector, simply identified as Umoh, on Wednesday shot himself dead after returning from an official assignment in Owerri, Imo State.

The inspector, until his death, was serving at area command headquarters in Owerri, according to newsmen.

A witness said the officer went into a private room and shot himself in the stomach.

“Mobile officers came back and one of them went into one of the rooms and locked himself in. The next minute, we heard a gunshot.

“When we approached the quarters, it was discovered the door was locked.

“We forced it open and the mobile policeman was found dead in a pool of his own blood,” the witness said.

The incident caused panic in the area.

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Orlando Ikeokwu, confirmed the incident.

Mr Ikeokwu, a superintendent of police, said the state Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Muhammed, has ordered an investigation into the incident.