The Police in Anambra State and the Anambra Vigilante Group have vowed to hunt down the killers of the commander of the Nnewi vigilante, Mr Eloka Ubajekwe.
Ubajekwe was killed on Monday by gunmen suspected to be separatists, who were enforcing the abolished sit-at-home protest initiated by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
He was killed alongside two others during a gun duel between the criminals and vigilante operatives.
The operatives had chased the criminals from Nnewi to Nnobi after they abducted an innocent citizen, before the duel occurred.
In a press release by their spokespersons, SP Tochukwu Ikenga and Mr Nweke Nweke, respectively, they promised to stop at nothing to ensure that the killers are arrested and brought to justice.
Ikenga said: “The Commissioner of Police, CP Nnaghe Obono Itam, has ordered an immediate manhunt operation for the armed men operating in a red Highlander SUV, who abducted a citizen in Nnewi at 1:30 pm yesterday, June 17, 2024, and were trailed to Nnobi, where they engaged security operatives in a gun battle.
“During the gun duel, one of the security operatives was fatally hit by a bullet and due to the indiscriminate shootings by the hoodlums in an attempt to escape the scene, the bullets also fatally struck two innocent passersby in the area.
“The police response team at the scene recovered the bodies of the victims and took them to the hospital, but regrettably, three of the victims, including a 22-year-old lady, were confirmed dead by the doctors on duty, while two others are currently receiving treatment.”
Also in a press release, the AVG said: “No man, no matter how highly placed, will waste innocent blood and go scot-free.
“The Anambra Vigilante Group (AVG) has vowed to work around the clock alongside other security forces in the state to apprehend all those involved in the killing of its commander in Nnewi, Eloka Ubajekwe, and make the perpetrators pay with their blood.
“The AVG has urged members of the public to help by volunteering information to the police and other forces that could assist in arresting the miscreants who hide under the umbrella of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)’s sit-at-home order to cause havoc in Anambra State,” Nweke said.