Gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday stormed Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, targeting residents as they fired sporadically and set vehicles ablaze.
The attackers, reportedly dressed in mafia-style black outfits, arrived in Sienna vehicles and moved through the town, shooting indiscriminately.
It is learnt that several people sustained gunshot wounds, while others were shot dead.
“It was like a scene from a gangster movie. They just started shooting everywhere,” an eyewitness disclosed. “People ran for their lives. Vehicles were burning. It was chaos.”
The same resident linked the attack to recent comments made by Governor Charles Soludo in the United States, where he reportedly blamed a rise in killings and kidnappings in the southeast on individuals of Igbo descent. “That statement may have provoked something,” he said. “Governor Soludo needs to find a lasting solution. These attackers are more organised than all our security outfits put together.”
The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the incident.
According to the spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, two civilians were killed in the early morning attack, while one of the gunmen was neutralised during a police response. He added that four vehicles used by the attackers were recovered.
“Our Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, is a field man. He will not allow hoodlums to overrun Anambra State,” Ikenga said. “Our men have taken control of the area.”
STAY WITH 9NEWS NIGERIA. YOUR NUMBER 1 FAVOURITE NEWS SOURCE.
