Gunmen enforcing Monday’s sit-at-home order in Anambra State launched a deadly attack, killing five people and critically injuring Mr. Chimame Ezigbo, President-General of Abatete town in the Idemili North local government area.
Persecondnews gathered that three members of the Abatete Vigilante Service, who were escorting Ezigbo, were killed during the attack.
In another separate incident, some gunmen attacked the Ukpo Community at the Ukpo roundabout in the Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state, killing one vigilance operative and a motorcycle rider.
The attacks occurred between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., catching residents off guard and forcing those who had ventured out for the day’s business to rush back home.
An eyewitness in Abatete reported that Ezigbo was critically injured after being shot in the head and rushed to a nearby hospital, while the three vigilante members escorting him lost their lives on the spot.
He said: “We are praying for the recovery of our PG. He became unconscious when the bullets struck his head. It’s shocking that he was targeted. This is a man who has worked tirelessly to maintain peace in Abatete. Our community is in turmoil.”
In the Ukpo incident, authorities identified the victim as a motorcycle rider who also served as a member of the local vigilante group.
A police source confirmed that investigations into the incidents have begun, and efforts are underway to apprehend the perpetrators.
The source said: “Investigation is already ongoing; the perpetrators will not go unpunished. The command will never allow these hoodlums to take over Anambra space, nay Southeast, never.
“Let me tell you the truth: when we apprehend such men, your people will start making calls describing them as innocent while we become the bad elements; that’s the issue.”
The attacks contradict recent perceptions that the Monday sit-at-home order’s enforcement was dwindling in Anambra State.
Persecondnews recalls that the “Sit-at-home” order in the Southeast was initially declared by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in May 2021.
It was aimed to honour Biafra’s fallen heroes, protest Nnamdi Kanu’s detention, and pressure the federal government to address regional grievances.
However, the order has been linked to violence, economic disruption, and human rights violations.
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