•Be vigilant, Fulani herders want to attack S-East, IPOB warns
Two men were yesterday reportedly killed by gunmen at the Ogbor Hill waterside Bridge, Aba, Abia State; while another two were shot dead at Aji Community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Also yesterday, gunmen suspected to be sit-at-home enforcers set ablaze a vehicle at Nkwelle Ezunaka junction along the Awka/Onitsha express way near Onitsha, Anambra State.
Meantime, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB has advised the general public to be at alert to avert the new strategy devised by Fulani herders to attack Christians, churches and non-Muslims in South East.
IPOB warned Christians not to accept anybody joining them on the pretence of converting to Christianity and being rejected by their Muslim families in the North, saying that it was a “tragedy waiting to happen”.
Gunmen kill 2 in Abia
Eyewitnesses told Vanguard that the victims at Ogbor Hill waterside Bridge,Aba, Abia State, identified as Sammy and Alaba, who were musical equipment and footwear sellers, respectively,at the waterside bridge, were trailed to the area by the gunmen.
Vanguard gathered that the killers came on four tricycles loaded with some boys who shot the two victims at one of the shops.
Alaba was said to have left his shop to greet his friend ,Sammy, unaware that danger was lurking.
“Suddenly, some gunmen with four tricycles confronted Alaba and one of them was asking money-related questions and nobody expected the sudden shooting of Alaba which scared everyone.
“We were all watching from afar when the same boys shot Sammy and used an axe on him.
“It was disturbing that this incident happened just few metres away from the Eziama Police Station without the policemen making effort to ascertain where the gunshot came from,” the eyewitnesses said.
It was further gathered that Alaba’s young son sustained injuries from the attack and is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
Corpses of the deceased have been deposited at an undisclosed morgue in the city.
Police Command Public Relations Officer,Abia State Command, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna,was yet to respond to calls and a text message sent to his mobile line as at press time.
Gunmen kill 2 in Enugu community
In Enugu, it was gathered that the hooded gunmen boarded the lorry to disguise only to open fire on passersby suspected to have gone to the popular market, Eke-Ozzi, in the council area.
A survivor of the incident who spoke to Vanguard under anonymity said she abandoned her vehicle which was destroyed by the gunmen and trekked for several hours in the bush before she could reach home.
She said that apart from the two deceased victims, others sustained injuries of various degrees.
Vanguard gathered that the gunmen were angered by the heavy presence of military men in the council area.
Recall that gunmen attempted to attack a police station in the council area but were repelled by police personnel from the Police Division in the council area.
Two police personnel were allegedly killed at the workshop of the CEO of the Royal Mass Transit in the council area, after sporadic gun shots at the residences of some political figures in the community, making Enugu State Government to declare curfew on Igbo-Eze North and South Local Government Areas of the state.
The spokesperson of the Enugu State Police Command, Daniel Ndukwe, could not respond to enquiries at press time.
Gunmen set vehicle ablaze in Anambra
The incident, according to sources, occurred in the morning hours when the enforcers flagged down the vehicle on its way from Awka to Onitsha and allegedly set it ablaze, while its driver was said to have escaped into a nearby bush.
As at press time, it was not yet clear if the driver of the burning vehicle sustained a gun shot injury or not as it was alleged that the gun men kept shooting towards his direction before he went out of sight.
Meantime, the normal Mondays sit-at-home exercise was strictly observed by residents of the commercial city of Onitsha and its environs.
As usual, all markets, banks and other commercial activities were shut, just as vehicular movements were grounded, in compliance with the exercise which has so far lasted for barely a year now.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga told newsmen in an SMS that he does not have such a report before him yet.