•We’ll apprehend killers, Police vows

Six traders have been reportedly shot dead at the Gariki Market in the Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has taken charge of the hunt for the killers. Yesterday, Thursday, June 7, 2024, he was in Okigwe for an on-the-spot assessment of the market, during which he expressed the determination of the police to apprehend the killers of the traders.

CP Danjuma expressed sadness over the ugly incident while commiserating with the families of the victims and the market leaders.

“I assure you that the command will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are all arrested and brought to book,” he said.

In addition, the police in synergy with the military and the local vigilantes are currently carrying out intensive operations in the area to clamp down on the hoodlums responsible for the senseless violence.

Danjuma urged the Okigwe residents to go about their lawful businesses without fear as adequate security measures had been placed to forestall any future occurrence.

He implored them to continue to support the police and other security agencies with actionable intelligence by reporting any suspicious person seen or clandestine activity observed within their vicinity to the nearest police station

PUNCH Metro gathered that six people were killed in an attack by suspected members of the Indigenous People of Biafra in the area in the early hours of Wednesday at Ama Hausa in Garki, Okigwe LGA of the state.

A witness who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity for fear of his life said the gunmen attacked the area at about midnight and operated until about 9 am when troops of the Nigerian Army repelled them.

“As of early hours of Wednesday around midnight, we heard persistent gunshots from around the Garki area. It lasted for about an hour and six persons died,” he said. (Adapted from a report by The PUNCH)

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