The police in Anambra State said they have killed two gunmen enforcing the suspended sit-at-home order in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The gunmen reportedly attacked some traders on Monday at a roundabout, close to the popular Nkwo Umunze market.
A resident of the area, Comfort Mokaogwu, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen set a motorcycle ablaze, and destroyed some goods.
“The gunmen did not kill anybody,” she said.
A video clip which was shared in some WhatsApp groups showed several wheelbarrows filled with rice, garri and beans, thrown on the ground by the gunmen.
The burnt motorcycle was also captured in the video, while a background voice in the clip blamed the traders for flouting the sit-at-home order.
The police spokesperson in Anambra, Tochukwu Ikenga told PREMIUM TIMES the gunmen were later shot dead by police operatives during a shootout.
He said the police in the state have evolved new strategies to tackle the rising insecurity and track down gunmen terrorising residents.
Mr Ikenga said some of the residents who were abducted by the gunmen had been freed by the police.
He confirmed that some motorcycles were set ablaze by the gunmen.
Mr Ikenga said the police were still patrolling the area.
Attacks by armed men have increased in the region in recent times.
The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.
The latest incident comes a few hours after arsonists razed the headquarters of Idemili North Local Government Council, a Magistrate Court and a sub-office of an electric distribution company located inside the Secretariat.
The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) of being responsible for the deadly attacks in the South-east. But the group has repeatedly denied their involvement in the attacks.
The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of the South-south Nigeria.
Mr Kanu, leader of the group, is expected to appear in court on Wednesday, May 18, for the continuation of his trial.
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