By Charles Igbo
Rampaging gunmen who have literally held Anambra State hostage, were not satisfied with killing a Security man and three of his colleagues, they had enough time to behead him before the Police, who were alerted, arrived.
The Police arrived 55 minutes later. But they were able to neutralise one of the gunmen, and recovered a number of sophisticated arms and ammunition.
The gruesome incident took place at the headquarters of the Ihiala Local Government Area. Villagers said the gunmen arrived at about 2.00am on Friday. Their arrival was announced by dozens of gunshots which took four members of the local vigilante, stationed to keep watch over the Secretariat, unawares. The gunmen, instantly, shot dead the four of them, and for reasons best known to them, beheaded one of them.
Thereafter, they proceeded to wreak havoc on the buildings. They razed a number of them using Improvised Explosive Devises, IEDs. “Everywhere was on fire”, noted a villager who pleaded not to be named. Five buildings were completed razed down.
They include the Administrative block, the Primary Health Care block, office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, that of the National Youth Service Corp, and that of the National Civil Defence.
Tochukwu Ikenga, DSP, and Spokesperson for the Anambra Police Command, confirmed the incident to Reporters. He said a number of the gunmen escaped with gun shot wounds.
He disclosed what were recovered at the scene include: Two locally made IED launchers, seven undecorated IEDs, 40 pieces of live cartridges, 15 live 7.62 MM AK47 ammunition, knives and charms.
At the time of filing this story, the State Government was yet to issue a statement.
Ihiala, a semi-urban Local Government, which shares a boundary with Imo State, has, for about one year, been a hot bed for violence, and gunmen and cult activities. It is gradually, but surely becoming a no-go area.
