Several persons feared may have died Sunday morning at Emene, Enugu, following a violent clash between security agents and members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB). The clash threw the whole Emene and environs into chaos and disrupted church services as worshippers of the various churches in the area ran helter-skelter to escape being caught in the crisis. According to the Vanguard, an eyewitness account said that trouble started at about 7.00 am when some police invaded the Community Secondary School Emene where members IPOB were meeting to disperse and arrest them.
According to the account, the attempt was resisted, turning the encounter bloody with IPOB members reportedly overpowering the security operatives.
In a swift reaction, a large reinforcement was called and over a dozen patrol vans loaded with armed security agents comprising police, army and DSS arrived the scene and faced the Biafran agitators. Sounds of gunfire and teargas fumes filled the area, particularly between St Patrick Secondary School and St Joseph Catholic Church along the old Abakaliki Road. One account lamented that the premises of St. Patrick Secondary School was “flowing with blood” as fleeing IPOB members were pursued into the school by security operatives.
- Vanguard