A commercial motorcyclist was, on Tuesday, killed when gunmen attacked a market in Ogbaku, a community in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east.
The gunmen reportedly stormed the market in a Sienna vehicle and shot the victim to death, according to a report by The Punch.
The incident occurred while the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali (IGP), was at the Government House Owerri to inaugurate the 12 Armoured Personnel Carriers procured by the state government to fight insecurity in the state.
The victim, identified simply as Chima, a commercial motorcyclist, was said to have refused orders from the gunmen to enter their vehicle.
“They got infuriated and shot him three times, and he died on the spot before they drove off,” a source was quoted as saying.
An indigene of the community, Chika Onoh, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen shot indiscriminately when they attempted to whisk the victim away.
“My younger sister escaped a stray bullet from the gunmen,” she said.
The Secretary General of Ogbaku Youth Association, Justice Nwafor, said the body of the victim had been evacuated from the scene.
He said the case has been reported to Ogbaku Divisional Police Headquarters and that the victim’s motorcycle has been taken to the police facility.
The police spokesperson in the state, Michael Abattam, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking comments from him.