Five people have been killed during a confrontation with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and another rival group at Ihiala in Anambra State.
An eyewitness who saw the Hilux van carrying the bodies of members of the group out of the town said people hailed the IPOB members who were shooting in the air as they drove towards the Onitsha-Owerri expressway.
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The eyewitness said, “It is true. The incident happened at Akwa village in Ihiala during a clash between IPOB and some gunmen.
“The gunmen have a camp at a place called Oseakwa, from where they have been terrorising Ihiala, Okija, Uli and other neighbouring communities.
“For some time, the gunmen have been disrupting burials and demanding to be settled before any ceremony is organised. They are also the group that has been kidnapping people and snatching cars.”
The IPOB, through its media and publicity secretary, Emma Powerful, had at many times dissociated the secessionist group from the killings in Anambra and the South East in general, warning that it would deal decisively with persons using its name to perpetrate various crimes in the zone.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that some people suspected to be members of Ebubeagu outfit had clashed with gunmen in Ihiala during a burial ceremony, although no life was lost.
Reacting, the police public relations officer, Anambra State command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said he was yet to receive a report about the Ihiala incident.
