A 22-year-old newlywed bride was tragically killed in a gunmen attack in Nnobi, Anambra State on Monday.
The victim, whose name is withheld, had just celebrated her traditional marriage a week prior and was awaiting her husband’s return from abroad when she was struck by stray bullets. She was the only child of her parents.
According to a family source, the young bride was returning from a farm where she had been sent to fetch vegetables when she was caught in the crossfire between security forces and unidentified assailants.
The attackers, suspected to be enforcing the Monday sit-at-home order, targeted Nnewi in Nnewi North LGA and Nnobi in Idemili South LGA, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries.
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Witnesses reported that the gunmen arrived in a black Land Cruiser jeep and opened fire on vigilante operatives, severely injuring two of them.
Despite rescue efforts, one of the injured vigilante members and two passersby, including the bride, succumbed to their injuries.
Anambra State Police Command and local vigilante services have launched a manhunt to apprehend the attackers.
The police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, had ordered the operation and assured the public that justice would be served for the victims.
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In his statement, Ikenga condemned the violence and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
He called on the public to provide any information that could aid the investigation.
Similarly, the Anambra State Vigilante Service pledged to work tirelessly with other security agencies to capture those responsible for the attack.
The group’s Public Relations Officer, Nweke Nweke, vowed retribution for the death of their commander, Eloka Ubajekwe, who was killed while confronting the gunmen.
The exact number of casualties remains unclear, but local sources estimate that over six people were killed in the coordinated attacks on Nnewi and Nnobi.
The community is left in mourning and shock as they await further developments in the ongoing investigation.
