OWERRI – Soldiers guarding Imo State Government House took to their heels after shooting to death late Sunday night an undergraduate of the Imo State University, Divine Nwaneri and wounding the driver of the vehicle in which she rode with her friends, in what eyewitnesses described as unprovoked attack.
Twenty-four-year-old Divine Nwaneri, who hailed from Umukam in Obollo community in Isiala Mbano LGA, was a first year student of Soil Science and Biotechnology in the faculty of Agriculture of the Imo State University, Owerri.
The deceased was shot dead when soldiers on duty at the Government House along Okigwe Roundabout opened fire on the vehicle in which she was riding with her friends, a Lexus 250 with number plate, Lagos KSF 407 GT, at about 10pm on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses said the soldiers quickly fled the scene of the incident after the shooting, abandoning their victims in the in the vehicle until the father of the deceased came and rushed them to the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, where the IMSU undergraduate was confirmed dead while the driver who had sustained severe gunshot injuries survived.
IMSU SUG president, Arinze Oguike, said in a chat with reporters in Owerri: “We got a call that one of our students was shot dead by the military at Imo State Government roundabout. We made inquiry and found one of the eyewitnesses. She told us that the military shot them at Imo state Government House area. Unfortunately, the driver and Divine were affected.
“The father to the driver of the vehicle was contacted and he quickly arrived. They were evacuated to FMC, Owerri. On reaching to the FMC. It was confirmed that the girl had died.”
“We have made a formal demand to VC that the military who killed our student be identified and arrested. We have also asked that the medical personnel on duty be arrested for professional negligence. These are our demands,” a distraught Oguike added.
Although the vehicle in which the undergraduate was killed was still parked in front of the Government House as at the time of this report, Imo State police spokesperson Orlando Ikeokwu, said he had not been formally briefed about the incident.
Also, the Army Public Relations Officer of 34 artillery brigade, Obinze, Owerri, Capitan Babatunde Zubairu said he had not been communicated about the incident.
Again, gunmen kill five police officers
In a similar development, unknown gunmen struck again yesterday at the Okigwe South Divisional Police Headquarters, Orieagu, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, leaving five officers dead and another missing.
It was learnt that on arrival, the gunmen opened fire on the officers who challenged them.
After the attack, they freed all the suspects in police cell and made away with arms and other weapons while setting the facility ablaze as they left.
“Our zonal command headquarters in Okigwe South is on fire. Six policemen shot dead. They also freed the suspects before igniting fire on the facility,” the source stressed.
Sources said that villagers the development caused the Oriagu villagers to flee their homes for fear of the unknown.
Spokesman of the Imo state police command who confirmed the incident said that five officers were killed in the Okigwe South area command headquarters attack by unknown gunmen.
“I can confirm an attack on Okigwe South Area command headquarters, Ehime Mbano LGA, by yet to be identified gunmen. Five officers have been killed, while one is yet to be accounted for,” he said.
