There is tension in Onitsha following reports that operatives of OCHA Brigade allegedly opened fire at the bustling Onitsha Main Market, Emeka Offor Plaza axis, leaving four people — including a pregnant woman — dead.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred on Tuesday morning, sparking panic and outrage among traders and residents who fled the scene for safety.
According to accounts, the victims, who had only set out to earn their daily bread, were shot by armed men reportedly working for the state government under Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo. The group, known as the OCHA Brigade, is accused of routinely unleashing violence on residents under the guise of enforcement.
“This is heartbreaking. Four innocent people who left their homes this morning have been cut down in cold blood. Among them is a pregnant woman. Anambra people are now living in fear because criminals have been handed guns and uniforms in the name of government enforcement,” one distraught trader lamented.
The reason for the sporadic gunshots by the OCHA Brigade operatives could not be ascertained as at press time.
The development has fueled widespread anger, with critics accusing Governor Soludo of empowering groups they describe as “government thugs” to terrorize indigenes and residents of the state.
As of the time of filing this report, the Anambra State Government and the OCHA Brigade are yet to release any official statement on the tragic incident.
Culled from Journalist101
