Gunmen enforcing a purported five-day sit-at-home order attacked and burnt a police patrol vehicle at New Market area in Enugu State.
It was gathered that the hoodlums who were numbering over 10 had stormed the New Market area as early as 6am on Saturday morning probably to shut down the market but met some policemen on ground and hence attacked them.
The gunmen were reported to have engaged the policemen deployed to the market in a gun duel and eventually succeeded in setting ablaze their patrol vehicle.
According to SaharaReporters, a police source who confirmed the attack said that no life was lost, but he didn’t provide further details.
Some early morning traders said that the shooting forced traders who had arrived in the market for their daily business to scamper for safety, leaving their goods behind.
An eyewitness, Mike Ezeh said, “I saw group of boys around 6am this morning shouting on traders coming to market to go home. They were shouting; don’t you know there’s sit-at-home? Why are you disobeying it?
“Shortly, I saw a police patrol vehicle coming and immediately, they engaged them in shootout. I left my goods ran to safety. After the shooting stopped I came out and saw they had set ablaze the police patrol vehicle in front of the Colliery hospital,” Ezeh said.
No casualty has been reported as at the time of this report just as the police are yet to make a statement on the incident.
The state police public relations officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, could not be reached as he didn’t answer his calls as at the time of filling this report.