Following the group’s sit-at-home command, four suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB were slain in Arochukwu, Abia State, on Thursday.
According to an army source, the IPOB members, armed with guns and cutlasses were harassing people and later attacked an army troop.
“As a result, the troop had to engage them, and in the process, several of them were neutralized,” the source said.
Another source in Arochukwu claimed that some youths were following a large crowd of IPOB activists when the army told them to turn around, but the youths refused.
According to the source, this resulted in a fight between the youths and the troop, who then shot at the youths, killing some of them.
The Abia State police command verified the incident in a statement by the state’s Commissioner of Police, CP Janet Agbede, who said that members of the group, of about 50, attacked soldiers with weapons and machetes, with some of them being killed by soldiers on duty at First Bank Arochukwu.
“During the exchange of fire, the soldiers launched a counter-attack, and three of the hoodlums were killed.” The hoodlums dispersed as a result of the soldiers’ superior firepower. “Efforts to track down the fleeing hoodlums have been stepped up,” the CP stated.
As a result, the police chief advised citizens to report anyone they see with a bullet wound to the nearest police station or law enforcement agency.
Ada Peter
