On Saturday evening, gunmen attacked a village meeting in Umuchoke Okwe, a community in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State, killing at least ten people.
According to local sources, the victims were attending a meeting when the attackers stormed the location and opened fire on everyone present. “It is true. Unknown gunmen attacked Umuchoke Okwe today and killed over 10 people. They stormed a meeting involving the president-general of the community and some community heads and shot everyone,” a resident told TheCable.
The gathering was reportedly held to discuss the upcoming councillorship election for the community. Some residents believe that the president-general may have been spared temporarily as he had gone inside his house to fetch kolanut for his guests when the attack occurred.
Umuchoke Okwe is known as the home of Ralph Uwazuruike, the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).
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Henry Okoye, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, confirmed the attack and expressed sorrow over the incident. “This is very unfortunate. The command is saddened by this tragic incident. Investigation is ongoing to unravel the miscreants responsible for this dastardly act and make them face the full wrath of the law,” Okoye said.
This attack and killing of 10 persons occurred despite the claim by the police that it provided water-tight security to the people of Imo State to secure them during the #EndBadGovernance protests. The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun deployed helicopters for aerial surveillance and patrol.
Police Commissioner Aboki Danjuma, the Police Commissioner of Imo State, gave the citizens of the state assurance on Friday that sufficient protection of lives and properties against those who might want to cause trouble.
On the second day of the protests, Danjuma said, “We are on the second day of deployment on convoy patrol, comprising the military, police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other agencies, aimed at protecting all Imolites.”