There was unease among residents of Awka and other major cities in Anambra State yesterday as people ran helter-skelter, schools hurriedly closed, civil servants abandoned offices and street shop owners closed following a rumour that some hoodlums had arrived the state to enforce the IPOB sit-at-home order.
Information which filtered in earlier in the morning that a gang of rampaging hoodlums who were enforcing the sit-at-home order had killed two persons around Total Filling Station in Ihiala had set the stage for the panic.
Our correspondent observed that residents of major cities, including the state capital, Awka; Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia were terrified for over two and half hours.
It was gathered that before killing two people in Ihiala, the hoodlums had dispersed sympathisers at a funeral in Umudikevillage in the same Ihiala area.
Police spokesman, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu in his reaction warned rumour mongers to retrace their steps or face the wrath of the police.
He expressed disappointment with the way people pass rumoursabout insecurity in the state, saying; “Those instigating fear on people, I don’t know what they want to gain from that.”
Earlier in a statement, the police image maker had alerted residents that the command had observed that some unscrupulous persons were circulating fake videos and messages portraying the state to been under heavy security threat, and warned that the command would make sure that anyone caught would be made to face the full weight of the law.
He urged members of the public to volunteer prompt information about any criminal or plot of insecurity by making use of the following phone numbers of the Command’s Control Room: *07039194332* or the Public Relations Officer PRO:08039334002.
