Many injured as gunmen attack Imo communities

Many people were injured on Wednesday when gunmen invaded Eziobodo and other surrounding communities in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.

The attackers were suspected to be Fulani herders.

Residents told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen invaded Eziobodo, Ihiagwa and surrounding villages at about 9 p.m. and opened fire on the people.

The communities are host to the Federal University of Technology Owerri in the council area.

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One of the victims, a commercial motorcyclist, narrated in a video clip circulating on Facebook that he was shot at a junction during the attack.

The motorcyclist who spoke from a clinic where his gunshot injury was being treated said he had refused to proceed on the journey, but his passenger pressured him to continue.

He explained that as he and the passenger approached a bush path between Ihiagwa and Eziobodo, he became suspicious that hoodlums were around the area after he saw an abandoned motorcycle on the road.

“On crossing the little bush, I saw a motorcycle lying on the road without the owner. I told my passenger, ‘let’s turn back because the owner of the motorcycle might have been attacked.’ But he insisted that we were close to his destination.”

The motorcyclist said shortly after, some gunmen dressed in black attire came out from the bush and attempted to attack him and the passenger.

“Two boys wearing black attire and armed ran out of the bush to attack me but because I was on speed they jumped back into the bush. Unfortunately, another gunman outside the bush now shot me,” he said.

PREMIUM TIMES also obtained another video clip which showed a boy, about three-years old, whose forehead was heavily cut by the attackers.

A devastated man who was carrying the boy while he was being treated at a clinic said some people were killed in Eziobodo during the attack.

Another male voice was heard in the background of the clip lamenting that armed herders had taken over the community.

But this newspaper could not independently verify these claims.

Police speak

The police spokesperson in Imo State, Henry Okoye, has confirmed the attack in a statement on Thursday morning.

Mr Okoye, a deputy superintendent of police, said the attackers unsuccessfully attempted to abduct a victim along Umuokwo Ihiagwa/Eziobodo Road.

“Preliminary reports indicate that the assailants attempted to abduct a victim but were successfully resisted through the prompt intervention and collaborative efforts of Police operatives, local vigilante groups, and members of the community who mobilized swiftly and in large numbers, thereby frustrating the criminal operation,” he said.

“During the incident, the victim sustained a gunshot injury and was immediately rushed to a hospital where the victim is currently receiving medical attention.”

The spokesperson said the police in the state have strengthened security deployment around the communities because of the attack.

Mr Okoye said the Commissioner of Police in Imo State, Audu Bosso, has also deployed operatives of the newly established Violent Crime Response Unit to the area to track down the attackers.

Mr Bosso, he said, has assured residents of Imo State of their safety, adding that adequate security measures have been placed to forestall future occurrence.

The commissioner said the police in the state have assured the residents that the situation was now under control, while coordinated intelligence-driven operations were ongoing to track down the hoodlums.

The police chief urged the residents to remain calm and vigilant as well as report suspicious persons or activities to the security agencies for action.

“The Imo State Police Command remains committed to safeguarding lives and property and will continue to intensify proactive policing across the state,” he assured.

Increased attacks

Like other states in the South-east, security has deteriorated in Imo, with frequent attacks by armed hoodlums in recent times.

The latest attack occurred three days after gunmen, suspected to be cultists, shot dead two people in Nekede, another community within the same Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

READ ALSO: Police launch manhunt as gunmen kill two in Imo

But the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been linked to some deadly attacks in the South-east and some parts of the south-south Nigeria.

However, IPOB has repeatedly denied being responsible for the attacks in the two regions.

The separatist group is leading agitation for an independent state of Biafra from south-east and some parts of the south-south from Nigeria.