-Uzodinma Yet To Visit Scenes
It was a typical case of sorrow, blood and tears as bomb explosions rocked two major markets at Orlu in Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State on Tuesday, leaving two dead and many with several degrees of injuries.
It was gathered that the explosion which rocked the Orlu International market and the popular Ogbo Ji at Okporo also in Orlu LGA, caused stampede and confusion as people ran helter skelter for safety, and in the process, many sustained severe injuries.
A source who claimed to be at the scene said, they were at the market doing the day’s business when they suddenly heard the sound of an explosion that caused panic and pandemonium leading to a stampede that resulted in several causalities.
A source who also pleaded anonymity told our reporter that “the carrier of the bomb who pretended as if he came to seek the services of a shoe mender was discussing with him when the bomb which was an Improvised Electronic Device IED, suddenly exploded, killing the bearer, the person he purportedly came to patronize and some others who fell down in the process of escaping from the vicinity.
In a related development the popular Ogbo Ji at Okporo, Orlu also recorded an explosion same day, as if the attacks were programmed by the same syndicate.
However, in the case of the incident at Okporo, an eye witness said, the perpetrator of the dastardly act came with cyclist who presumably, did not know his deadly intention. On their way and few meters to the market, the explosive which may have been programmed to explode later in a place where more people were gathered suddenly exploded. The innocent cyclist and the man who came to plant the bomb died instantly, while several others sustained various degrees of injuries, and were rushed to the hospital where they are responding to treatment.
Imo Police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, who confirmed the incident at Orlu International market, said, “It was an IED that exploded,” he said. “The Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has deployed Anti-Bomb operatives to the scene.
According to him, “two persons who incidentally were the hoodlums were killed in the process of setting up an IED and in the process, it exploded.”
Okoye urged calm, saying, “We have deployed operatives to the area. No cause for alarm. We ask all Imolites to report suspicious activities in their areas and be vigilant”.
