From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Gunmen, in the early hours of yesterday, attacked an area in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State, popularly known as Garki.
A source, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, said the gunmen attacked the area at about 12am and operated until about 9am before troops of the Nigerian Army confronted them in a fierce battle and forced them to flee the scene.
“As of the early hours of today, around 12am, we heard persistent gunshots from around the Garki area, it lasted for about an hour. Some gunshots were heard again at about 9am, everyone started running”, the source narrated.
The source said the gunmen, after killing six people at the scene, attempted to raze the buildings in the area before they were repelled by soldiers. Another source told Daily Sun that the gunmen suspected to be members of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) might have carried out the attack following a raid of their camp by security agencies earlier.
“They attacked their camp in the early hours of Saturday. So, I guess they targeted the area as a form of retaliation or something.”
The state police Spokesman, Henry Okoye, confirming the incident, described it as an unfortunate one. He said the state Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment and,
however, assured the people of the area, especially the traders, of their safety.
He said the CP, while commiserating with the families of the victims and the market leaders, expressed sadness and vowed to arrest all those behind the incident. Okoye also added that police operatives, in synergy with the military and the local vigilantes, carry out intensive operations in the area to clamp down on the hoodlums responsible for the senseless act of violence.
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