Unknown Gunmen suspected to be members of Biafra secessionist armed group on Thursday staged another show of force at Ihiala main town in the Ihiala local government area, after killing two persons at Ozobulu community in the Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Residents said the Unknown Gunmen with over five Hilux vehicles started shooting sporadically while approaching the market area in Ihiala main town between the period of 5:30 and 6 pm.
Onlookers said the Unknown Gunmen who came into the town from Ozobulu community unnoticed, started shooting into the air sporadically when they got ovation from the publics along the Onitsha-Owerri road, and crowd of people moving towards their direction with praises and applauses.
According to residents, the Unknown Gunmen were completely dressed with black and black clothes with red berets to match.
Reports from Ozobulu community in the Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State indicated that the Unknown Gunmen operated several hours, and two persons, both male and female were killed during the operation.
Asked if the special military formation at the Stadium area along the Ozobulu-Nnewi road was attacked, the residents said no, but the Unknown gunmen for long hours were shooting very close; and around the military formation.
Sources said the Unknown Gunmen may be the group, who are fighting some of their members that abused their secessionist mission and started engaging in different kind of criminal activities in the Ihiala area.
A new video made available by the Unknown Gunmen indicated that one of their members, identified as Double Lion and his gang were killed last week Friday by themselves, following alleged kidnapping and other form of criminal activities, the Double Lion and his gang were said to be perpetrating in the Ihiala community and its nearby environs.
The policing Unknown Gunmen group accused Double Lion and his gang to be responsible for the pockets of Kidnapping for ransom in the Ihiala community that have resulted to numbers of the locals abducted, ransoms collected and yet, some of the victims killed.
A resident who spoke with OsazuwaAkonedo news crew, narrated how her son who deals on cement business, was Kidnapped at Eziama quarters between Ihiala and Uli communities in the Ihiala local government area of Anambra state towards the ending of February this year.
According to the bereaved mother, the kidnapers demanded five million naira which the family was able to raise after almost two weeks.
She said the kidnappers collected the five million naira ransom from them, but to their surprise, it was the dead body of their son that was released to them.
The bereaved mother said the murdered son has a little girl.
Another Kidnapped victim, narrated how she was abducted at Bright street around Umuofor area of Okija community early this month.
She was kept hostage with over 32 other persons at Unknown Gunmen camp within the Eziama forest.
According to her, there was plan for her family to pay a ransom of 150 thousand naira demanded by the kidnappers when “the real Unknown Gunmen from Orsumogho camp came to our rescue. The Eziama Unknown Gunmen ran away and all of us were set free”.
It would be recalled that the policing Unknown Gunmen staged a show of force last week Friday, shooting sporadically into the air along Onitsha-Owerri road, Ihiala-Olu road, Uzoigwe area of Okija community unchallenged.
The show of force was accompanied with four dead bodies, the residents earlier said were members of the Ebubeagu Security Operatives until the Unknown Gunmen released a video, to announce that the dead bodies were that of Double Lion and his gang members said to be terrorizing people in the Ihiala main town and its nearby environs; with all manners of criminal acts against the tenets of the Biafra secessionist armed group.
It was gathered that Double Lion left the Unknown Gunmen camp at Orsumogho to form a new camp within Ihiala forest.
One of the unknown gunmen member who provided a background voice to the video described Double Lion as a criminal gang leader.
