Gunmen enforcing the sit-at-home order in Imo state on Friday afternoon attacked some parts of Owerri and Mbaitoli leaving at least two people dead.
At Orji, near Owerri, the gunmen dressed in black attacked residents and passersby including policemen. A resident of the area, Tochukwu Ogbonna told our correspondent that one policeman was shot dead at 7up junction.
According to the resident after killing the policeman they then shot into the air forcing people to run for their lives with many motorists abandoning their cars.
At Ubomiri in Mbaitoli Local Government Area, the gunmen attacked the convoy of an APC House of Representatives candidate for Mbaitoli/Ikeduru Federal Constituency Akarachi Amadi killing one prince Chidi Iheme said to be the elder brother of Nollywood actor Osita Iheme popularly known as Pawpaw. The state commissioner for Solid Minerals Martin Eke who was driving in the same car with the late Iheme escaped with injuries.
Not done yet, the gunmen stormed a market in Iho in Mbaitoli and set many shops and cars on fire. Nobody was killed in that attack.
In a video of the attack on the APC convoy a voice can be heard raining curses on APC and threatened to execute any body caught working for the party and defying the sit at home order imposed on the state
There are conflicting reports on a sit at home order said to have been declared by IPOB. In a statement the group denied giving such order
Efforts to reach the Imo state police Spokesman Mike Abattam failed as the police officer did not answer his call
