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George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
Three members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were allegedly shot dead, late Monday night, during a clash with the police in the Orji suburbs of Owerri, the Imo state capital.
This was just as about 20 IPOB members were arrested by operatives of the Imo State Police Command.
It was reliably gathered from a source that the IPOB members arrived the state from Aba, in Abia State, and started destroying campaign billboards of candidates contesting for the elections, at Osigiwe Street, at Orji.
It was equally learnt that the suspected IPOB members had vowed that no election would take place in Biafraland and had insisted that people of the state should sit at home on Saturday, February 16, which they have declared as a day of referendum.
However, trouble reportedly started when residents of the area alerted the police to the situation, and the IPOB members allegedly attacked a police detachment sent to the area.
The source said: “IPOB members stormed the street and started destroying billboards of candidates of political parties. Policemen who were deployed to the scene but that on sighting the policemen,the IPOB members attacked them.
“Three IPOB members were killed in the ensuing clash while two others, who sustained gunshot injuries were taken to hospital, as well as four policemen who were shot were also taken to the hospital.”
It was learnt that an A-47 rifle, belonging to one of the policemen, was allegedly snatched by the separatists.
However, Commander of Special Anti-,Robbery Squad of the command, Victor Geoffery, who mobilised his men to the scene and arrested about 20 members of the IPOB members.
He confirmed the arrest of the 20 IPOB members.
“Twenty IPOB members were arrested. We recovered many Biafra insignia from the suspects as exhibits. We will charge to the court after investigation,” he said.
