The Anambra State Police Command has launched a manhunt for gunmen who killed a vigilante operative and injured several others in Nnewichi in the Nnewi North Local Government Area of the state while enforcing illegal sit-at-home.
It was gathered that the group of the armed illegal sit-at-home enforcers were on patrol and saw some motorcycles parking in front of a hotel in the community where some group of residents were having a meeting.
The gunmen went into the hotel and asked what they were doing there and why they were not observing the sit-at-home as others.
An X user, Pst Okezie @Onsogbu, said, “Before residents could say a word, the leader of the gunmen commanded his boys to shoot all of them and they began to fire sporadically and many people within the hotel started running for safety and as such, many sustained varying degrees of injury.
“The Chief Security Officer of the town who was coming to the rescue ran into an ambush of the gunmen and he was killed. The incident had thrown the entire Nnewi community into mourning.
“These boys that go around killing people are Igbo and not foreigners. It’s sad that Igbo is now killing his fellow tribesmen in the name of freedom fighting.”
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said that the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, had vowed to get justice for the murdered vigilante operative and others.
The police spokesperson said “CP Itam has ordered an immediate manhunt operation on the armed men operating in a red Highlander jeep, who abducted a citizen in Nnewi by 1:30pm yesterday 17/6/2024 and were trailed to Nnobi, where they engaged security operatives in a gun battle.”
According to Ikenga, “During the gun duel, one of the security operatives was fatally hit by the bullet and due to the indiscriminate shootings by the hoodlums in an attempt to escape the scene, the bullet also fatally struck two passersby in the area.
“The Police Responding Team at the scene recovered the bodies of the victims and took them to the hospital but regrettably, three of the victims including a 22-year-old lady were confirmed dead by the doctors on duty while two others are currently receiving treatment.
“The Commissioner condemned the killing in the strongest possible terms and described the killers as cowards who have murdered sleep.
“He condoles the families of the deceased and vows to get justice for the heroic act of the murdered vigilantes operative and unsuspecting members at the scene.
“He also called on members of the public, especially the eyewitnesses to assist us with information on the ongoing onslaught Operation. Further development shall be communicated, please.”
