Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra trying to enforce sit-at-home order in Nnewi have been killed by soldiers during a confrontation on Monday. The unfortunate incident happened at the Izuchukwu junction area of the Nnewi roundabout according to an eyewitness who alleged that the dead was a leader of IPOB alongside a commercial motorcyclist.
Problem started at about 7.00 am when some IPOB members allegedly came out to enforce the Sit at home order and in the process blockade the major roads in the industrial town. Some unidentified soldiers were said to have rushed to the area to clear the items used to block the roads, and in the process an altercation ensued between them and the IPOB members, leading to the soldiers opening fire on them.
The eyewitness said that the two victims were actually killed by gunshots from the unidentified soldiers, who quickly took off immediately after they fell to their bullets.
However another source told Vanguard that the two people killed were commercial motorcyclists who came out for brisk business but were sighted near the blockade put on the road by the soldiers who started questioning them on why the road was blocked and following jot exchange of words with the soldiers, they were shot by the soldiers who hurriedly left the scene.
Meanwhile, the industrial town has been reduced to a ghost town as the people who initially came out to survey the level of compliance to know if they could open for their daily business rushed back home to save their lives.
Some vehicles were also smashed by aggrieved persons over the attack on the civilians by armed soldiers. However, a combined team of security agencies as at the time of filing this report later stormed the town to disperse the protesters who gathered in protest against the killing of the civilians by the soldiers.
It will be recalled that IPOB, warned residents of the state against coming out of their homes, following an alleged plan by the military to attack people and branding them IPOB and Eastern Security Network, ESN members. The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, for Anambra State command Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached to confirm the deaths.
