RESIDENTS of Ukpo, the hometown of oil magnate Prince Arthur Eze, and the neighbouring Abatete community have decried the absence of security forces as gunmen reportedly killed five people during a Monday sit-at-home enforcement.
Ukpo is located in Dunukofia local government area, while Abatete lies in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state.
The attacks occurred between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, with no security operatives present to assist the affected communities.
Eyewitnesses reported that the assailants set several vehicles ablaze while firing indiscriminately and shouting, “No Biafra, no peace in Igbo land.”
The gunmen, suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), reportedly targeted local vigilante groups, as police officers often avoid the roads on Mondays due to fear of attacks.
A president-general of one of the communities was critically injured in the attack and has been hospitalized.
“They shot at him many times without bullet penetrating his body and they resorted to using cutlass to design his body, including the eyes.
“He just went to Eke Abatete to pick an iron bender to work in his house when those hoodlums struck from nowhere, killing two vigilante members that followed him and the iron bender
“We are praying for his recovery,” said a community leader, adding “This senseless violence has left our community shaken.”
Some leaders from the two communities, speaking to The Nation on Monday, compared the current situation in the Southeast to the Biafra war, saying the war seemed less dire than what they are now enduring.
Although the Police Public Relations Officer, Ikenga Tochukwu, was not reachable for comment, a senior police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that Commissioner of Police Obono Itam had deployed troops to the affected communities.
The officer assured that the command would not relent in its efforts until those responsible for the attacks were apprehended.
“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 Police source said
“Whatever that’s playing out today is Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s fault. Those people had remained calm for some time now until recently when the governor provoked them again by ordering that markets should be reopened every Monday.”