Students Stay At Home, Banks Shut As Security Situation Worsens In Imo

Owerri, the capital city of Imo State was ghostly in the morning as schools were shut following the break down of law and order in the state with killings and razing of buildings resume.

When NewsTrack Nigeria monitored the situation, most banks in the municipal refused to attend to customers who had to resort to using the nearest Automated Teller Machines.

Most sent a message across to parents to keep their children and wards at home so as to avoid avoidable attacks from hoodlums.

Speaking to one of the teachers from one of the Schools along Weatheral Road, Owerri, she said “We didn’t know about the situation until we got to the school. It’s quite frightening to note that everywhere looks deserted. Next time, we shall surely be more proactive because stray bullets do not know who is a teacher or a student.”

Another was a student of government owned school who said he needed no nobody to tell him to go home since the school was fearfully scanty. “When I got to my school and saw that everywhere was scanty except few teachers. A few students were going home, I had to join them”.

Parents were literarily at rest today as most of them shun

It was also gathered that many shops remained closed on Monday in Owerri.

Gunmen had on Saturday morning bombed Umuguma Divisional Police Headquarters in the Owerri West LGA of the state. The attack led to the killing of two policemen who were on duty, razing of seven vehicles parked at the station, and the freeing of suspects in detention.

The same night, gunmen invaded the country home of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor, at Awo-Omanma in the Oru East Local Government Area of the state, and burnt it.

On Saturday, gunmen killed a horticulturist, Kingsley Nwachukwu, at Nweke market square in Nkwerre community, Nkwerre LGA of the state.

The fleeing gunmen were said to have finished robbing a nearby trader before they saw some young men hanging out at a nearby pub and opened fire which led to the instant death of Nwachukwu who hailed from Umulolo village in Nkwerre Community.

Gunmen equally attacked members of the Abba community vigilante group in the Nwangele LGA of the state.

Frustrated that they could not get their targets, they burnt the operational vehicle of the vigilante group.

On Sunday morning, gunmen attacked the Omuma Divisional Police Headquarters in the Oru East LGA of the state.

Omuma is the hometown of the governor of the state, Hope Uzodinma.

The police spokesperson, Micheal Abattam, who issued a statement concerning the incident, said that a combined team of police operatives and their counterparts from the State Security Service repelled the gunmen.

According to Abattam, four of the hoodlums were killed during a gun duel and others escaped with bullet injuries.