Just like Enugu, shootings reported in Anambra

Just like in Enugu State, there have been reports of shootings in Anambra State on Monday morning by gunmen suspected to be members of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The Anambra shootings happened in some communities around the boundary of two local government areas – Orumba North and Aguata – in the state.

The gunmen were said to be “enforcing” the Monday sit-at-home order, which IPOB had cancelled in September, last year.

A resident of the area, Oluchukwu Victor, told PREMIUM TIMES the gunmen fired gunshots in the air before setting ablaze a Sienna vehicle.

Mr Victor, a printer, said one of his workers who first heard the gunshots on his way to the shop had called his telephone line to inform him of the shooting, but that he did not pick the call.

“We don’t really know who they are. When I got to my shop around 8 a.m., people were running,” he said.

The police spokesperson in Anambra, Toochukwu Ikenga, has confirmed the incident.

He said the police were already on ground and that normalcy has been restored in the area.

The spokesperson said the state commissioner of police has ordered reinforcement teams from the police headquarters to intensify patrols around major areas in the state like Onitsha, Nnewi, Ihiala, Aguata, and Awka.

The growing insecurity in the South-east has been linked to IPOB, accused of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the region.

The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is being held by Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, in Abuja, where he is facing trial for alleged treason.