Panic has gripped residents of Eke community of Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State following the alleged killing of a volunteer member of the community’s neighbourhood vigilante and a woman by soldiers from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army Enugu.
It was learnt while Ebuka Oke was shot dead at close range, Okolo had his genitals and legs shattered by the soldiers’ bullets with Ofor shot on various parts of his bodies and in the intensive care unit of a hospital.
The development, it was gathered, has thrown the community and its neighbourhood into panic.
One of the operatives, Anigbo told reporters from his hospital bed: “We were at 9th Mile Conner on Thursday night where we had gone to felicitate with our colleagues who were being inaugurated as neighborhood watch members.
It was there that we got a distressed call that armed robbers blocked the major road leading to the popular Catholic Church Prayer Center (Ugwudinso) and Eke, from Ama breweries.“On receiving the call, we abandoned the food and drinks we were about consuming, and swiftly drove out with a view to confronting the criminal elements, but due to heavy traffic gridlock occasioned by the blockage of the road, we could not get to the scene with their vehicle”.
He further narrated they decided to park their vehicle along the road and started moving towards the place.While approaching the scene, he claimed they were ordered in a loud voice to stop.
Anigbo said they obeyed the soldiers and stopped and started telling them that they were neighbourhood vigilante watch guards.
“Despite the fact that we were in our full security uniform and had identified ourselves, the soldiers opened fire on us at a very close range, killing the late Oke, and the woman.“After shooting me severally, while I was on the ground, one of the soldiers still, notwithstanding seeing my ID card and my uniform, went ahead to shoot me again on the shoulder,” Anigbo said amidst tears.
But when contacted, the Deputy Director, Army public relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu, described the victims as armed hoodlums, saying their narrative was untrue.
-Advertisement-
Grab our latest Magazine, "Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN, A man of wide horizons and deep intentions". Get your order fast and stress free.
For more details about Newswire Law&Events Magazine, kindly reach out to us on 08039218044, 09070309355. Email: newswiremagazine@yahoo.co.uk. You will be glad you did
