By Izunna Okafor, Awka
It was chaotic at Nkwọ Market in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, as soldiers reportedly stormed the market in the early hours of the Thursday and started shooting sporadically into the air to disperse the traders.
It was gathered that this was in reaction to the killing of about three soldiers yesterday at the market by yet-to-be-identified hoodlums who laid an ambushment on the soldiers while on routine patrol duties.
According to a source from the area, the traders were already set for business on Thursday, being the an Nkwọ Market day, before a group of heavily armed soldiers stormed the market and shut down the market with rains of gunshots fired into the air, commanding everybody to pack and go home.
The source further revealed that the order recorded immediate total compliance, as the hitherto-crowdy market is currently empty, with no single human being therein, while the streets and the vicinity of the market are also deserted
“We understand that they did that in mourning of their members who were killed yesterday. To me, it is somehow to say that something like that happened just yesterday, and today, people came out to trade at the market. Those people killed are all human beings, and their souls deserve some level of respect,” the source said.
It is, however, not yet certain whether such restriction of movement and market activities in the area implies imposition of curfew or not; neither is it clear yet how long such restriction will last.
When contacted, the Spokesperson of the Anambra State Police Command, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu said there was no such gunshots at the market, neither did soldiers shut down the market.
