On Friday afternoon, gunmen who were executing the sit-at-home order attacked various locations in Imo State, including Owerri, Mbaitoli, and the surrounding area.
The gunmen opened fire in several different places, killing Prince Iheme, a police officer. Prince was the older brother of Nollywood celebrity Osita Iheme, also known as Pawpaw.
Martin Eke, the state commissioner for solid minerals, was also hacked by the gunmen.
People were forced to flee for safety when the gunmen, who were riding in Trundra operating vehicles, opened fire randomly.
Businesses quickly shuttered, leaving the roadways desolate as drivers abandoned their cars and fled.
In Orji, a town that shares a border with the state capital, three vehicles carrying masked gunmen attacked locals, onlookers, and even police officers.
Witnesses claimed that the shooters encountered police officers at the 7Up crossroads in Orji and killed one of them with a single gunshot.
He said, “They just killed a policeman now. They opened fire on them and were shouting, ‘There is sit-at-home. We have asked you to go home. Stay indoors.’”
Another eyewitness said, “I just escaped death now. They stopped before us and shot in the air and asked us to go home. They didn’t shoot at us maybe because I was in the midst of some elderly women.”
Our correspondent also gathered that the fleeing gunmen shot repeatedly at Nkwo Orji market before taking off towards Okigwe Road.
At Ubommiri in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, the gunmen attacked the convoy of the All Progressives Congress candidate for Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency, Akarachi Amadi.
While Prince Iheme was killed on the spot, the state commissioner for Solid Minerals, Martin Eke, was cut with a machete.
An eyewitness who didn’t want to be mentioned said, “This attack is politically motivated. We just finished at one campaign rally ground and were heading to Ubommiri. Our convoy was attacked at Amawuihe before Ubommiri.
“Prince Iheme was riding in the same vehicle with the commissioner for solid minerals. Prince Iheme who is Pawpaw’s elder brother was killed on the spot. The commissioner who was sworn in two weeks ago was cut badly. He has just been rushed to a hospital. They were driving in a Ford SUV. I pray he makes it.”
Micheal Abattam, the command’s police spokesman, had not yet responded to a question about the occurrences.
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