Four members of the Anambra Vigilante Services (AVS) lost their lives on Monday morning in separate attacks by gunmen across Anambra State.
Three of the vigilantes were killed in Ukpo, Dunukofia Local Government Area, while another was fatally shot in Abatete, Idemili North LGA.
Reports indicate that some unkown gunmen launched a sporadic shooting spree upon storming Abatete, resulting in the death of one vigilante member.
These attacks came in the wake of Governor Charles Soludo’s directive urging traders to disregard the Monday Sit-At-Home order imposed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and resume normal activities.
An eyewitness recounted that the assailants ambushed a Sienna bus carrying vigilante members at the Ukpo roundabout. The gunmen opened fire, killing three personnel, torching their operational vehicle, and fleeing the scene. They reportedly abducted seven individuals and injured several others during the chaos.
A trader and another vigilante member narrowly escaped the incident but sustained bullet wounds.
The eyewitness revealed that the attackers fired indiscriminately while chanting, “No Biafra, No Freedom,” causing panic as residents fled for safety.
S.P Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, confirmed the incident. He added that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ukpo had commenced investigations into the tragic events.
The attacks follow Governor Soludo’s recent mandate, issued two weeks ago, instructing all markets to remain open on Mondays in defiance of the Sit-At-Home order, which has been enforced by gunmen in the region | End Staph TV.