Metro
Sit-at-home: Mayhem in Anambra as Unknown gunmen kill 10 security operatives
By Cyprian Ebele, Oniitsha
No fewer than 10 local vigilante group members were allegedly killed during Monday sit-at-home at Ukpo, Njikoka and Abatete, Idemili North Local Government Areas, Anambra state, by yet to be identified gunmen.
It was gathered that five of the victims were killed at Ukpo while the other five were shot dead at Abatete in the early hours of Monday by the unknown gunmen who operated in SUV vehicles.
According to an eyewitness account, the vigilante men were taken unaware by the unknown gunmen who after killing them, took away their arms and set their patrol vehicle ablaze.
The eye witness stated that people who were running helter skelter as the shooting rented the air, were asked by the unknown gunmen to stop running and that they were not hunting for them but security operatives.
They shouted to us, “Stop running, you are not the ones we are looking for, we are searching for security operatives. We can’t allow them in our land, they better leave to another place and not Biafra land,” he stated.
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Also at Abatete, at least five vigilante operatives were said to have been killed while the President General of the community, PG, who was with them narrowly escaped death by the whiskers.
He was said to have sustained various degrees of bullet wounds and was rushed to a yet to be identified hospital where he was reported to have been placed on the danger list.
Scores of people were also said to have been injured while trying to escape from the scene of the incident even as motorists abandoned their vehicles on hearing the sound of guns.
Confirming the killings at Abatete, the State Commissioner for Information, Hon. law Mefor, who hails from the area, lamented the killing and described it as unfortunate.
Also the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, (SP), while confirming the incident, said he was waiting for details.