Two persons have been killed in Ejemekwuru in Oguta local government area of Imo state after a clash between youths suspected to be cult members and soldiers.
It was gathered that the incident occurred on Saturday at a campaign ground rally in the presence of Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Imo West in the February 16 polls.
The governor had gone to the area to canvass for votes for himself and President Muhammadu Buhari when the incident occurred.
It was further gathered that two youths, identified as Tochi and Ndukwe, lost their lives when they were shot by the trigger happy soldiers who had allegedly engaged them in a fisticuff.
The state’s Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi, confirmed the incident, adding however that only one youth was allegedly shot by the soldiers who were on a patrol in the area.
The CP said that his command had intervened, restored normalcy to the area and arrested four suspects in the process.
According to Galadanchi, the issue leading to the fracas which resulted in the loss of lives was cult related, stressing that the shooting occurred at a venue outside the campaign ground.
But the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has alleged that the army officers who killed the youths were attached to the governor.
A statement issued in Owerri on Sunday by Kissinger Ikeokwu, the spokesperson of the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Emeka Ihedioha, urged the state police command to investigate the case.
The PDP alleged that the soldiers it claimed were with the governor “opened fires” on the youths who were demanding for better governance from the state government and killed two in the process.
The main opposition party said that it holds Okorocha responsible for the killing of the youths.
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