About ten heavily armed gunmen suspected to be operatives of the outlawed Eastern Security Network (ESN), the militant wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) said to be enforcing the 5 days sit-at-home ordered by the separatist agitation group, on Saturday overpowered Police personnel at the New Market area of Enugu metropolis and burnt their operational van.
The Enugu State Police Command has confirmed the early morning shooting where the gunmen were reported to have shot sporadically and engaged a team of Policemen on duty in front of the Colliery Hospital in the area.
Although a Statement by the Police Command spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe was silent on casualties, an eyewitness told africafirstnews.com that no fewer than two persons may have been killed in the cross fire, while traders who were unaware of the attack scampered for safety.
The identities of those allegedly killed had not been known at the time of this report, in an incident that occurred at about 6:15 on Saturday morning.
An online video with a background voice suspected to be of the Gunmen was heard charging the traders to shut down their businesses and go home in compliance to the sit-at-home order.
A factional leader of IPOB based in overseas, Simon Ekpa had declared a five-day sit-at-home civil disobedience in the entire States of the South Eastern of Nigeria beginning last Friday to next week, but a counter directive by the official IPOB spokesperson, Emmanuel Powerful had urged the people to ignore the order and go about their businesses, had set a confusion on the residents and visitors.
However, reports from Imo, Enugu and Anambra States have indicated bloody attacks by the suspected IPOB operatives who have attempted to enforce the order on Friday and Saturday.
