Gunmen rampage in the southeast, kill two people and raze a police vehicle
Two people were killed on Saturday when gunmen attacked residents of the new market in Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria.
The gunmen, who stormed the area around 6:25 a.m., also attacked residents at different locations in the state.
Residents said the gunmen wore face masks and operated from a tricycle.
PREMIUM TIMES has learned that the thugs, numbering around 10, fired indiscriminately at Abakpa Nike in Enugu East Council area and at Holy Ghost Junction in Enugu North Council area, forcing traders and other residents to rush to safety.
The attack comes just 24 hours after gunmen attacked communities in Imo, killing a policeman and Prince Iheme, an older brother of Nollywood actor Osita Iheme.
As in Imo, the gunmen who carried out the attacks in Enugu are said to have enforced a controversial five-day sit-at-home declared by a faction of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) banned.
How the gunmen killed the victimsA witness at the new market, Chidi Nnaji, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen opened fire on locals and businessmen heading to their shops for the day's business.
>“The gunmen fired sporadically outside the market and we all fled. We only came back later to see a woman and a man in a pool of blood,” he said.
p>“The woman is a food vendor. She sells cooked rice in front of the old CitiBank gate.”
Mr. Nnaji said that although the two victims were rushed to Enugu State Teaching Hospital, they were already dead before their arrival.
A video clip showing the victims in the hospital has gone viral on Facebook.
In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the two victims - a man and a woman - lay lifeless on the ground, while residents gathered around lamented the attack.
The identity of the victims could not, however, be established.
In Abakpa, one resident, Tochukwu Nweze, told this newspaper that residents were running backwards due to sporadic gunfire from gunmen in the area.
Shaving a police vehicleFurthermore, at New Market, just opposite the popular Colliery Hospital, Enugu, the gunmen also attacked police officers and torched their operational truck.
Officers, it has been learned, first engaged the gunmen in a firefight when they attempted to attack some local residents. But they fled when the gunmen overpowered them, then razed their vehicle.
A video clip showing the burning police truck has been circulating on Facebook.
Normality, however, returned to the New Market and Holy Junction areas when a combined team of police and army officers began patrolling the areas hours after the attack.
Ogbete's main market, which was previously deserted by fleeing traders due to the attacks, subsequently resumed trading activities.
State police spokesman Daniel Ndukwe did not respond to calls and a WhatsApp message...
Two people were killed on Saturday when gunmen attacked residents of the new market in Enugu South Local Government Area, Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria.
The gunmen, who stormed the area around 6:25 a.m., also attacked residents at different locations in the state.
Residents said the gunmen wore face masks and operated from a tricycle.
PREMIUM TIMES has learned that the thugs, numbering around 10, fired indiscriminately at Abakpa Nike in Enugu East Council area and at Holy Ghost Junction in Enugu North Council area, forcing traders and other residents to rush to safety.
The attack comes just 24 hours after gunmen attacked communities in Imo, killing a policeman and Prince Iheme, an older brother of Nollywood actor Osita Iheme.
As in Imo, the gunmen who carried out the attacks in Enugu are said to have enforced a controversial five-day sit-at-home declared by a faction of Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) banned.
How the gunmen killed the victimsA witness at the new market, Chidi Nnaji, told PREMIUM TIMES that the gunmen opened fire on locals and businessmen heading to their shops for the day's business.
>“The gunmen fired sporadically outside the market and we all fled. We only came back later to see a woman and a man in a pool of blood,” he said.
p>“The woman is a food vendor. She sells cooked rice in front of the old CitiBank gate.”
Mr. Nnaji said that although the two victims were rushed to Enugu State Teaching Hospital, they were already dead before their arrival.
A video clip showing the victims in the hospital has gone viral on Facebook.
In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the two victims - a man and a woman - lay lifeless on the ground, while residents gathered around lamented the attack.
The identity of the victims could not, however, be established.
In Abakpa, one resident, Tochukwu Nweze, told this newspaper that residents were running backwards due to sporadic gunfire from gunmen in the area.
Shaving a police vehicleFurthermore, at New Market, just opposite the popular Colliery Hospital, Enugu, the gunmen also attacked police officers and torched their operational truck.
Officers, it has been learned, first engaged the gunmen in a firefight when they attempted to attack some local residents. But they fled when the gunmen overpowered them, then razed their vehicle.
A video clip showing the burning police truck has been circulating on Facebook.
Normality, however, returned to the New Market and Holy Junction areas when a combined team of police and army officers began patrolling the areas hours after the attack.
Ogbete's main market, which was previously deserted by fleeing traders due to the attacks, subsequently resumed trading activities.
State police spokesman Daniel Ndukwe did not respond to calls and a WhatsApp message...
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