Gunmen suspected to be enforcing the sit-at-home ordered by a breakaway faction of IPOB led by one Simon Ekpa on Friday, attacked various parts of Owerri, Mbaitoli and environs in Imo State on Friday afternoon.
The gunmen struck at different locations and killed a policeman, Prince Iheme, elder brother to Nollywood superstar, Osita Iheme popularly known as Pawpaw.
The gunmen also macheted the state Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Martin Eke.
The gunmen who rode in Tundra operational vehicles shot indiscriminately forcing people to scamper for safety.
While businesses abruptly closed, the roads were deserted as motorists abandoned their vehicles and ran away.
At Orji, a community sharing boundary with the state capital, the gunmen wearing black clothes in three vehicles attacked residents and passersby, including policemen.
According to THE PUNCH, the gunmen met policemen at the 7Up junction at Orji and shot one cop dead.
“They just killed a policeman now. They opened fire on them and were shouting, ‘There is sit-at-home. We have asked you to go home. Stay indoors,” the newspaper said quoting an eyewitness.
Another eyewitness said, “I just escaped death now. They stopped before us and shot in the air and asked us to go home. They didn’t shoot at us maybe because I was in the midst of some elderly women.”
The fleeing gunmen shot repeatedly at Nkwo Orji market before taking off towards Okigwe Road.
At Ubommiri in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, the gunmen attacked the convoy of the All Progressives Congress candidate for Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Akarachi Amadi.
While Prince Iheme was killed on the spot, the state commissioner for Solid Minerals, Martin Eke, was cut with a machete.
An eyewitness who didn’t want to be mentioned said, “This attack is politically motivated. We just finished at one campaign rally ground and were heading to Ubommiri. Our convoy was attacked at Amawuihe before Ubommiri.
“Prince Iheme was riding in the same vehicle with the commissioner for solid minerals. Prince Iheme who is Pawpaw’s elder brother was killed on the spot. The commissioner who was sworn in two weeks ago was cut badly. He has just been rushed to a hospital. They were driving in a Ford SUV. I pray he makes it.”
The police spokesman for the command, Micheal Abattam, had yet to respond to an inquiry concerning the incidents.
