Gunmen on Wednesday, wielding guns and other dangerous weapons have disrupted economic activities in Onitsha, Anambra State.
A source disclosed that the suspected Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) youths burnt a commercial bus, claiming to be enforcing a sit-at-home order.
The gunmen were said to have set a tricycle ablaze as they shot sporadically in the air.
A message had last weekend been circulated on social media, stating that there will be a 4-day sit-at-home exercise in the southeast, beginning from Monday, May 8 to 11. No reason was given for the order. But a press release by the spokesperson of IPOB, Mr Emma Powerful, stated that the group had announced May 30 as a day for all Biafrans to sit at home in commemoration of Biafra Day.
READ ALSO: IPOB Issues May 30 Sit-At-Home Order To Igbos In Lagos
The burning of vehicles had sent panic through Onitsha town, with a source saying that the enforcers were heading towards Abagana in Njikoka Local Government Area through the old road.
But the state police command’s spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the incident, said police operatives confronted the enforcers, and they had long been dislodged.
He said: “Police responded swiftly which made the criminals escape the scene. The hoodlums, in an attempt to scare the residents from coming out to embark on their daily activities, stopped and set on fire commercial vehicles and tricycles plying the road.
READ ALSO: Bank security Chief Shot As Suspected IPOB Members Enforce Sit-At-Home In Anambra
“The residents courageously resisted the assailants and the fire has been put off by the police operatives and some people in the area. Meanwhile calm has returned to the area and the situation is under control and monitored.”
Photo credit: Getty
