Gunmen kill vigilante commander, others in Anambra state

Gunmen have killed a vigilante commander identified as Eloka Mbajekwe, alongside many others in Nnewi, a community in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, during attack launched on Monday at about 11am.

Penpushing reports that sources said the gunmen opened fire on the residents, and after the attack in Nnewi, headed to Nnobi, a neighbouring community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

The sources said the gunmen met some commercial motocylists in the area and queried why they were not observing a sit-at-home order, and immediately opened fire on them, killing unspecified number, and others sustaining injuries

Penpushing further reports that a resident said the gunmen thereafter visited a hotel in the area where they shot some people and abducted a yet-to-be-ascertained number of people as at the time of filing this report.

The resident added that following the attack vigilante operatives in the community confronted the gunmen. Adding that this resulted in the killing of the commander of the vigilante operative, adding that the gunmen snatched some vehicles and mobile phones from people before opening fire on them.

‘They immediately opened fire on them, killing some people. Several others are in hospitals now. They started shooting themselves and then the gunmen killed the Nnewi vigilante commander. Many were shot. In fact, hospitals were filled up as of yesterday (Monday)’, the resident said

Penpushing also reports that the resident stated that there are lot of casualties, emphasisng that he can confirmed at least four persons dead, adding that the style of the attack did not suggest that the attackers were sit-at-home enforcers.

The Anambra State Police Command Public Relations Officer Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the attacks and killings on Tuesday in a statement explaining that the vigilante operatives trailed the gunmen to Nnobi after they abducted a resident in Nnewi on Monday.

“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 innocent passersby in the area,” he said.

‘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’, Ikenga stated.

Penpushing reports that he said the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Itam, has ordered a manhunt for the attackers whom he described as cowards, adding that the police boss commiserated with the families of the deceased victims.

Meanwhile, the statement emphasized that commissioner appealed to witnesses to support police operatives with information that will aid ongoing operations to track down the killers.

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