Sit-at-home: 2 killed in Nnewi clash with soldiers

Two people have been killed in Nnewi, industrial hub of Anambra, on Monday when soldiers, clashed with hoodlums, who allegedly wanted to take advantage of the sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to rob unsuspecting members of the public.

Daily Trust gathered that some unknown youths converged at the popular Izuchukwu Junction at about 4 am on Monday, mounted roadblocks and started robbing passers-by.

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The information had it that luck ran out on the youths when a certain traveller, driving in a car, arrived the scene, and was robbed of his valuables at gunpoint.

Some soldiers, who got wind of their activities rushed to the scene and opened fire thereby gunning down two persons, and injuring others.

A resident of the area, Sunday Ukachukeu, said gunshots woke him from sleep early in the morning.

“I was still asleep in my house, which is very close to the scene of the incident, when I heard several gunshots. We couldn’t come out; but at about 6am, when we came out, we saw two dead bodies in the pool of their blood.

“We later heard  that security operatives, suspected to be soldiers, were responsible for the shooting. We were here when some young men in two motorcycles arrived, carried the dead bodies and departed through the Igwe Orizu road. About 10 minutes later, policemen arrived in three vehicles, had a brief stopover at the scene of the incident and drove off,” he said.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Anambra, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, confirmed the development.

He however said that the information at his disposal was sketchy as at the moment and promised to get back when he gets the detail.

He said  that police personnel from Nnewi Area Command had already been deployed  to monitor the situation to stop further breakdown of law and order in the area.