The incident which took place at the Akwakuma area of the Owerri city caused panic in the state capital, sending traders and business people alike to running for their lives and closing for the day.
A tricycle operator popular known as Keke rider was shot dead instantly with his passengers shattered with bullets wounds when the attackers struck.
Sources said that on arrival, the gunmen who operated in a Toyota Sienna van and a commercial bus popularly known as Imo bus disrupted activities in the area.
One of the sources who doesn’t want to be mentioned said that it was in the process of shooting indiscriminately that stray bullets hit the Keke rider and his passengers.
While the driver died on the spot, his passengers sustained grievous injuries and were said to had been rushed to a hospital, unconscious.
The state of the injured persons had yet to ascertained by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.
One of the sources said ”a Keke rider has been shot dead by gunmen enforcing a sit-at-home order at Akwakuma in Owerri. His passengers were injured and have been rushed to a hospital. The corpse of the driver is lying here as I speak to you.
“The whole area is deserted. Policemen in about five vehicles have visited the scene. They are on a patrol. The streets and markets are shut. The criminals came in two vehicles, a Siena and a bus Imo vehicle. “
This incident came less than 24 hours after some gunmen also said to be enforcing a sit-at-home order attacked Amaraku market, Obolo community in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area and Irette community in the Owerri West LGA on Friday, burnt vehicles and goods worth millions of Naria.
The spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, has yet to respond to an enquiry concerning the latest incident.
He had earlier responded to the Friday attacks and said that the police in the state were on the trail of the attackers.
