Twenty-four hours after four policemen and a Point of Sale operator were killed in Irete, Owerri West Local Government Area, gunmen on Tuesday afternoon killed a young man at the nearby Orji in Owerri North LGA.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the gunmen who shot sporadically in the air, heading to the Owerri-Enugu Road, also burnt an Imo State Government Waste Management Agency vehicle at the Nkwo Orji Market.
When our correspondent visited the Nkwo Orji Market, the vehicle was already in flames.
An eyewitness told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak that the gunmen were shouting, “Stay in your homes.” “Don’t come out during the sit-at-home if you love your lives.”
He said, “The traders and buyers scampered for safety as they abandoned their wares, and vehicles and ran for their lives.”
Metro PUNCH noticed that commuters were stranded as very few buses were seen plying that area for fear of being shot.
Reacting to the killing, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, said, “The police operatives have been massively deployed at Orji. The situation is under control.
“The miscreants responsible for the attacks will certainly be brought to book.”
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