Unknown Gunmen Enforcing Monday Sit-At-Home Kill Security Operative and Two Passersby at Nnewi And Nnobi in Anambra State.

Unknown Gunmen Enforcing Monday Sit-At-Home Kill Security Operative and Two Passersby at Nnewi And Nnobi in Anambra State.

The Anambra State Police Command has launched a manhunt for gunmen responsible for the death of a vigilante operative and injuries to several others in Nnewichi, Nnewi North Local Government Area. The incident occurred while the gunmen claimed to be enforcing a Monday sit-at-home order.

Reports indicate that the armed group, patrolling the area, spotted motorcycles parked in front of a hotel where residents were meeting. The gunmen entered the hotel, questioned the residents’ defiance of the sit-at-home order, and then began firing indiscriminately on command from their leader, resulting in fatalities and injuries as some people fled for safety.

An X user, Pst Okezie (@Onsogbu), described the chaos, noting that the Chief Security Officer of the town was ambushed and killed while attempting to intervene. This attack has plunged Nnewi ichi community into mourning, with locals lamenting that the violence is perpetrated by fellow brothers who go about killing their own in the name of enforcing the sit-at-home or fighting for freedom.

Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga stated that Commissioner of Police Nnaghe Obono Itam has pledged to secure justice for the victims. Ikenga detailed that during a confrontation in Nnobi, gunmen in a red Highlander jeep abducted a citizen, leading to a gun battle with security operatives. One operative and two passersby were fatally shot in the ensuing chaos.

The police recovered the bodies and transported them to a hospital, where three victims, including a 22-year-old woman, were declared dead. Two others are receiving medical treatment.

Commissioner Itam condemned the killings, describing the perpetrators as cowards, and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased. He urged the public, especially eyewitnesses, to assist with information to aid the ongoing investigation. Further updates will be communicated as they become available.