A vigilante commander and five other persons have been allegedly feared dead in Nnewi and Nnobi Communities of Anambra State in a gun battle between security operatives and hoodlums said to be gun men in the two communities.

Sources disclosed this on Monday, saying the gun men firstly stormed Nnewi before the heading to Nnobi where they also unleashed mayhem.

It was gathered that some security operatives gave the gun men a chase of in Nnewi leading to their leaving through Nnewi -Ichi road.

On reaching, Nnewi Ichi, the gun men were said to have seen some vigilante men chasing after them and waited for them there.

Sources said that the hoodlums opened fire on the vigilante men and in the process shot down one security man and another unidentified person before veering towards Onyibo Junction at Nnobi in a bid to escape uncaught

At Onyibo Junction, Nnobi the hoodlums were said to have seen another group of security operatives blocking their way.

According to sources, the bad guys waited at the transformer close to the junction where they and the security operatives opened fire on each other and in the process shot persons including a child of about nine years who was said to be going on errand and two women, of who one of them was said to be a newly married woman who was returning from the garden carrying a basket of bitter kola on her head with stray bullets.

Sources said there was no incident at Nnobi Junction when the fleeing hoodlums reached there but only fired shots to scare street traders away from the road

However, on reaching, Awka-Etiti the gunmen allegedly abducted an unidentified man travelling on a jeep, pushed down his wife and fled with the vehicle.

According vigilante sources at Nnewi, (names with held) there was intelligence report that some hoodlums were heading towards Nnobi. This made those operative stationed at Authority Radio FM Nnewi to mobilized themselves against the hoodlums.

The source added that when they found out that they had only five bullets left, they retreated while others stayed behind.

The source said their commander, identified as Eloka Onyejekwe was shot dead while the driver of the vigilante vehicle was shot on his legs, adding that several others were wounded in the attack that ensued between them.

The PPRO Anambra State police command, Ikenga Tochukwu confirmed the story saying information reaching him at press time was still sketchy promising to go on air when he had got the whole information.

“I have been made aware of the incident. The information is still sketchy. As soon as I get the whole information, I will go to air,” the PPRO said. (Daily Independent)

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