Gunmen murder man, wife, 5 others in Imo community

Tragedy struck Ezinachi community in Okigwe Local Government Area, Imo State, as fleeing gunmen reportedly killed seven people, including a vigilante operative, a married couple, and four others.

Sources suggest the attack may be linked to escalating tensions involving the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Eastern Security Network (ESN), with the killings seen as a warning against actions perceived to threaten their interests.

An anonymous community source revealed that, following a recent surge in violence, some young men formed a vigilante group to protect residents and deter further attacks.

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But, rather than discharge their mandate quietly, the vigilante operatives took to social media to announce their formation and warn gunmen who they alleged were members of the proscribed IPOB and ESN, which allegedly irked the proscribed group.

The source said on Saturday, members of IPOB and ESN allegedly loyal to two of their leaders identified as “Yahoo” and “Gentle” swooped on the community and gunned down seven people.

According to him, the gunmen did the shooting amidst warning that nobody should dare to contest authority with them.

He said, “As a result of the repeated attacks on communities in Okigwe, some boys decided to form a vigilante group to check further attacks. Instead of them carrying out their plans quietly, they posted it on social media to announce their presence and warned IPOB and ESN members to steer clear of the community.

“On Saturday afternoon, the gunmen stormed the community and started asking who was contesting their authority. Seven people were killed, including a couple.

One of the people killed was a member of the vigilante. Already, others have gone into hiding as our community has been thrown into another fear and panic. Nobody can dare to say anything again,” the source said.

Already, security operatives drawn from the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have been deployed in the community.

However, attempts to get the reaction of the police command’s spokesperson, Henry Okoye, were unsuccessful as his mobile phone number did not go through.