Armed hoodlums, suspected to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, have wreaked havoc on Ihiala and Onitsha communities in Anambra State while claiming to be enforcing a sit-at-home order declared by a faction of IPOB last week.
The situation, it was gathered, also forced activities at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli campus, to be suspended.
The mayhem started on Tuesday when hoodlums first came out in large numbers on motorbikes and started shooting in an attempt to rob a bank and enforce the sit-at-home order.
According to eyewitnesses’ accounts, a bank security guard was shot during a gun duel between the hoodlums and security operatives at Nkwo Market, Ihiala Local Government Area of the state, thereby throwing the community into panic on Tuesday.
A message had been circulating on social media since last week claiming that there would be a four-day sit-at-home in the South-East, beginning from Monday, May 8. No reason was given for the order.
A press statement by IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, on Monday, indicated that the group announced May 30 for a sit-at-home in honour of Biafran heroes who died during the civil war.
But in the early hours of Wednesday, at the Ugwuwansike area of Onitsha, some hoodlums while shooting in the air to scare away people, set ablaze a commercial bus and a tricycle in their attempt to disrupt commercial and economic activities in the area as they were forcing the people to comply with the sit-at-home order.
A resident said, “They set the commercial bus and the tricycle ablaze after trailing them as they shot into the air. The burning of the vehicles sent panic around the Onitsha area and the enforcers headed towards Abagana in the Njikoka Local Government Area, through the Old Road.”
It was also gathered that the hoodlums forced activities at the state-owned varsity in Uli to be temporarily suspended.
A top academic staff of the institution, who spoke to journalists on condition of anonymity, said, “Due to increased activities of these hoodlums, academic and non-academic staff of the university at the Uli campus, are always in the panic mood when coming to work.
“As a result of this, all scheduled meetings and lectures at the Uli campus this week have been cancelled by the various heads of departments and units.”
“The authorities at the institution’s administrative headquarters at Igbariam, Anambra East Local Government Area have been briefed on the development.”
Reacting to the development in a statement on Wednesday, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incidents, said the hoodlums attempted to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movements in Ihiala until a joint team of policemen and other security forces responded swiftly and thwarted their move.
Ikenga said, “Following the improved operational and strategic positioning of men of the command, the joint security forces, comprising the police and military, at about 12:30pm on Tuesday dispersed the illegal sit-at-home enforcers from the proscribed IPOB group and Eastern Security Network in Nkwo market, Ihiala.
“The outlawed group members armed with guns and other weapons came out in their numbers on motorbikes and started shooting sporadically, in an attempt to rob a bank and to disrupt commercial activities and vehicular movements in Ihaila.
“The joint security team responded swiftly which made the armed men abandon their plans and take to their heels. Unfortunately, due to the indiscriminate shootings by the armed group, a stray bullet hit the chief security officer of the bank on the leg and he has been taken to the hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. No life was lost.
“Meanwhile, calm has returned to the area as the police with other security forces have intensified patrols, and improved security dominance and surveillance in the state.”
