By Nnamdi Ojiego & Steve Oko
There was palpable fear in Abia State over the alleged shooting yesterday evening around the Isiama Afaraukwu Umuahia, the country home of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafran, IPOB, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu’s younger brother, Prince Emmanuel, who raised the alarm, claimed that a detachment of policemen stormed the entrance gate to their late father’s palace and started shooting.
Recall that in September 2017, the Nigerian Army reportedly invaded Kanu’s home, barely 24 hours after it announced the start of its second phase of Operation Python Dance in the South-Eastern states.
Also, on October 2020, the IPOB leader raised the alarm over the alleged early morning invasion of his village by the combined team of the Nigerian Army and the Police, who allegedly harassed and intimidated people in the area.
Kanu had, in 2021, told Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that his house was unlawfully invaded by security men with his life seriously threatened.
The self-acclaimed Biafran leader further alleged that he would have been killed along with others on the day of the invasion if not for the wisdom he applied to jump out of the country.
The reason for yesterday’s shooting was yet to be ascertained at the time of filing this report.
Emmanuel said that the police should be held accountable should anything happen to members of his family.
An eye witness, who simply identified himself as Michael, said that the police personnel who drove in a Hilux vehicle came from the gate of the Commissioner of Police in the neighbourhood.
He said that when they were accosted they could not offer any cogent reason for their mission and later returned to their base.
Michael said that the shooting created panic around the vicinity as people fled their homes.
He said that they were now living in fear over the intimidation by security agencies.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO in charge of Abia State, Geoffrey Ogbonna, said he was not aware of the incident.
He, however, promised to make inquiries.