From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
There was pandemonium at Umuajioma village in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, yesterday, when a youth from the area was allegedly hit by a stray bullet from the Ebubeagu security outfit.
A community leader from Umunganike, a neighbouring village to Umuajioma, who did not want his name mentioned, said that the incident which occurred at about 9am saw the youths in large numbers, protesting against the presence of the Ebubeagu outfit in their locality.
He said the Divisional Police Officer at Ogbuide road was said to have intervened and calmed the situation. But the angry youths, Daily Sun gathered, later started hauling stones and chanting, “We don’t want Ebubeagu in our community”.
In the ensuing melee, the Ebubeagu, in an effort to defend themselves from the rampaging youths, shot sporadically in the air and, in the process, a stray bullet was said to have hit one of the youths who died, while some were wounded.
“What you saw in the video is true. Ebubeagu came through the Oguta Lake, some boys tried to stop them, insisting that they didn’t want Ebubeagu in Oguta.
“The DPO from Ogbuide road tried to calm the situation, but the youths continued protesting outside the station; they were advancing at them when they started shooting to scare them away and, in the process, the boy was hit by a stray bullet; it was not intentional,” the source narrated.
Daily Sun reported that there was a viral video of the incident, where the youths were chasing after the Ebubeagu outfit. When contacted for comment on the incident, the President General, Oguta Community Development Union (OCDU), Ajax Mberekpe, said “no comment”.
Meanwhile, the State police spokesperson, Michael Abattam, was yet to respond to the incident as his phone line could not be reached when contacted.