IPOB : 3 killed as sit-at-home turns bloody ,business activities grounded in Anambra
By Oge Onyeanusi Onitsha
Atleast 3 persons were reportedly gunned down in two different locations in Anambra state by suspected miltary personnel during Monday sit-at-home order issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB even as business activities were grounded and major roads blocked in Onitsha and environs,
According to this paper, out of the three reportedly killed, two were in Nnewi, Nnewi North Local Government Area and the rest two were in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that unknown youths, numbering about 50, converged at the popular Izuchukwu Junction, in the industrial city, where they mounted road blocks, and were robing passers-by, and that two killed at Nnewi met rheir waterloo when they capitalized on the sit-at-home order to block roads, extort and rob innocent people who they accused of flauting the IPOB order to stay indoors.
As they were robbing their victims, one of their victims told them he was rushing to Onitsha to pay for the hospital bill of his relation but his excuse fell on deaf ears as he was robbed of all he had that
included, hospital money, handset, wrist-watch, cash, among others.
An eye witness who pleaded anonymity said that, “it was while he was being robbed with others and his car also being ransacked that soldiers, on a tip-off, rushed to the scene and gunned down two of them while others fled unhurt with their loot”
IPOB : 3 killed as sit-at-home turns bloody ,business activities grounded in Anambra
“few minutes later, their gang members/families rushed and whisked the two corpses away prior to the arrival of the police that came to pick the corpses” he revealed further.
A resident of the area, John Uboshi, who volunteered to speak to our reporter, said he was still asleep when he heard several gunshots in the early hours.
“I was still asleep in my house, which is very close to the scene of the incident, when I beard several gunshots. We couldn’t come out; but at about 6am, when we came out, we saw two dead bodies in the pool of their blood.
“We later heard that security operatives, suspected to be soldiers, were responsible for the shooting. We were here when some young men in two motorcycles arrived, carried the dead bodies and departed through the Igwe Orizu road. About 10 minutes later, policemen arrived in three vehicles, had a brief stopover at the scene of the incident and drove off,” he said.
Also at Ugwuorie/Nnewi road, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo local Government Area, the two others met their untimely death when they blocked the road to force people to observe the order.
Luck however ran out on them when a military patrol team was sighted approaching the spot and as they were running away , one of them were shot dead by the military personnel.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Anambra, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the development. While saying that information at his disposal was sketchy as at the moment, Ikenga noted that police personnel from Nnewi Area Command were already on ground to monitor the situation, and to stop further breakdown of law and order.
Meanwhile business activities were totally grounded in Onitsha and environs, in solidarity to Nnamdi Kanu over his trial.
All markets in Onitha, Ogbaru, Ogidi, Nkpor, among others were shut and major roads that included, the ever-busy Onitsha/Owerri road, Onitsha/Enugu expressway and Onitsha/Asaba/Benin/Lagos expressway blocked which forced inter state travellers to be stranded.
At Nkpor and Onitsha/Owerri road, suspected IPOB members masked themselves, made bon fires wth used tyres and turned road users back to their respective homes on the process.
Popular Onitsha main market was completely shut down and commercial buses that normally ply to and from Onitsha were nowhere to be seen even as few tricycles operated out of fear of attack by IPOB
members.
Most roads deserted included, old market , new market, Oguta, Awka, bright street, Ojedi and Zik’s Avenue.
Court premises’ gates were under lock and key as the judicial staff were nowhere to be seen.
The popular post office axis where all newspaper stands are located, free readers and IPOB members capitalized on the present situation to crack jokes and discuss on the Nnamdi Kanu’s court trial.
Add Comment