There was pandemonium at Anara Market in Isiala Mbano local government area of Imo State last Saturday as suspected car snatchers shot indiscriminately in a failed attempt to snatch a Toyota Tacoma Van from a motorist.
Eyewitness account disclosed that the hooldlums who operated in a vehicle stormed the market in the evening, flagged down the driver of a Toyota Tacoma Van and ordered him to reverse.
“Suspecting that those ordering him to reverse were on an illicit mission, the motorist he jumped out of the car and ran into St John’s Catholic Church within the vicinity for safety.
Infuriated by their target’s escape, the hoodlums shot indiscriminately towards the direction he ran to and stray bullets hit two persons on a motorcycle.
It was gathered that the passenger died same day while the motorcyclist himself died on Sunday morning.
According to a community source, “a stray bullet hit Mr Christian Uzoeshi from Umudo Anara who returned from Enugu to plan the burial of his young sister. He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The second person who was actually riding the motorcycle was pronounced dead on Sunday morning. The hoodlums, unable to start the vehicle deflated all the tyres. They also rained bullets on another vehicle before zooming off.”
Some prominent indigenes of the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency beef up security in the area.
It would be recalled that gunmen had sometime in November last year, killed four persons on the spot while many others in the market sustained various degrees of injuries in the melee.
Effort to reach the Imo State police spokesperson for comment proved abortive as he did not respond to calls put to his phone.
