Gunmen kill lawyer, one other in South-east Nigeria

Gunmen have killed two persons in Anambra State, Nigeria’s South-east.

The incident, PREMIUM TIMES learned, happened on Thursday morning in Egbebelu village of Nanka, a community in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.

The victims and how they were killed

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the hoodlums, operating in a motorcycle, double-crossed the victims while they were driving in a red-colour Toyota Camry car.

One of the residents, who asked not to be named, said the gunmen suddenly opened fire on the victims, killing one of them at the spot.

“The second person was shot dead while he was running away from the car,” the resident said.

He identified one of the deceased victims as Ifeanyi Rolex Iloakasia, a lawyer who was driving home from a court after a hearing.

This newspaper gathered that the second slain victim was a client to the deceased lawyer.

A video clip which showed the scene of the attack shortly after it occurred has been circulating on social media.

In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, a male voice was heard in the background saying the hoodlums were assassins, considering the manner of the attack.

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Police speak

The police in Anambra State have confirmed the attack and killing of the victims.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, on Thursday morning, visited the scene of the attack, according to a statement on Thursday by the police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga.

Mr Orutugu, the statement said, visited the scene in company of senior officers, including the state deputy commissioner of police in charge of operations and other experienced detectives from the Command.

Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said in the statement that the slain lawyer had earlier secured bail of an accused person in a pending murder case at High Court II in Ekwulobia.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that the victims were attacked while returning from the court session, having been trailed and double-crossed by the assailants,” he said.

The police spokesperson said apart from the two deceased victims, one other victim survived the attack.

He said the unnamed survivor was currently receiving medical treatment at a hospital.

“The escapee has been debriefed by the police and has provided crucial information that is aiding ongoing investigations and manhunt operations,” he stated.

Mr Ikenga said the bodies of the deceased victims have been recovered and identified by their respective families.

He said the red Toyota Camry vehicle belonging to one of the deceased has been recovered from the scene.

The spokesperson said the police commissioner has ordered an “intensive investigation” into the incident.

He said the police chief also deployed tactical and intelligence teams to track down the attackers.

Increased attacks

Like other states in Nigeria’s South-east, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

Hundreds of persons have been killed or abducted and several others injured in some of such attacks in the region.

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The Nigerian government has repeatedly accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.

But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

IPOB is a group leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra which it wants carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.